Falling for Royalty
by LoveACullen
Summary: The Cullens are unexpectedly invited to a ball held by the Volturi one day. Edward hasn't met Bella yet, and it's plain that he's dreading staying in Italy for 2 weeks. Upon arrival in Volterra, the Cullens meet Bella and Jace, the children of Aro. No one has ever stood out to Edward before, but what happens when the Princess of the vampire world catches his eye? Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

**So, surprise, surprise. I decided to start a new story. It's been in my head for a long time now, and I just wanted to finally get it written down and posted. **

**I'm hoping that I have good enough ideas for this story. By the way, this was all a spur of the moment thing. I got this one conversation between Bella and the Cullens planned out in my head, and I just had to write it. **

**Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 1

Edward

I shoved my suitcase into the trunk of Carlisle's Mercedes. Nothing but annoyance filled me at this moment. I sighed in frustration, running my fingers through my bronze hair.

Three weeks ago, Alice had gotten a vision of our family getting invited to a ball in Volterra. The Volturi, who are basically the closest thing vampires have to royalty, invited vampires all around the world to a celebration they were having. For what, I had no idea.

I, unfortunately, couldn't weasel myself out of going because:

a.) I really didn't want to get on the Volturi's bad side.

And

b.) Alice had a good feeling about going to this ball. Something I learned to never question over the years.

Although my family and the Denalis would be the only 'vegetarians' - or animal drinkers - at the ball, which made me uncomfortable, it was still a way for us to socialize with other vampires.

Plus, there had to be a few human-drinking vampires out there who felt compassion towards humans, but didn't know another way of life.

That was Carlisle's main reason for deciding to go - so that he could save a few vampires from living like monsters - along with the fact that he wanted to catch up with his old friends Marcus, Caius, and Aro. They were also known as the leaders of the Volturi… basically the kings of the vampire world.

Carlisle had gone to them in the early days of being a vampire, and lived in their home for a while. That was until he grew tired of the constant screaming of humans being drained, week after week. I didn't know how he even survived in the first place. The way he described it was just plain awful.

I hoped they would at least be polite enough not to do that in the castle while we were staying there. We were only going to be staying for a week or two, but I really didn't want to hear hundreds of humans being killed over that time period.

Going through a dark phase in my life, I understood that human blood could be very tempting, and that some vampires didn't have enough will to change their diet. However, that time in my life had long gone. The dull ache in my throat had subsided over the years, and I no longer had an overwhelming urge to drink human blood. I was, after all, once human, so I didn't enjoy 'the kill'. Animal blood was enough to satisfy me.

I sighed, thinking about what the ball would be like.

These events never failed to bore me, and I wouldn't doubt it if one or two persistent females flirted with me. That was one of the reasons I hated socializing.

I shuddered, thinking about how filthy and lustful their minds would be.

After a few moments of mentally whining, I shrugged, getting into the back seat of the car. I couldn't exactly stay back, so I might as well get this trip over with.

* * *

My family and I exited the airport, hopping into our rental cars. I wasn't the happiest camper in the world, after having the most annoying flight in the world.

First off: a stewardess was shamelessly flirting with me for half the flight until I made it clear that I wasn't interested.

What made it worse was when a _male _flight attendant started hitting on me, apparently thinking that I was gay.

Emmett and Jasper were guffawing for the rest of the flight at my awkwardness, while I just sent them several death glares. luckily, that made them turn their attention away.

...Okay, I may not have been interested in any girls over the past one hundred years, but I was 100% sure that I was straight. Definitely after that flight. I cringed.

* * *

By the time we reached the Volturi underground castle, I just wanted to get settled in and be by myself.

As soon as we walked in, however, I was hit by the scent of strawberries and freesias. I resisted the urge to close my eyes and sigh with pleasure after getting a whiff, knowing my family would believe I had gone insane.

It wasn't that the scent awakened the vampire in me...It didn't even make my throat ache. It was just a wonderful smell. Like a perfume.

I wrinkled my eyebrows in confusion. I could hear a steady heartbeat coming from down the hall, so I knew the scent belonged to a human. But I wasn't at all affected by it. I wondered if it was just me.

That was until I looked over at Jasper. He was the newest member of our coven, still not used to being around humans - because he always craved their blood.

But once glance at him told me that he was calm as ever.

However, his brow was creased, and his thoughts were in the same direction as mine:

_"Why don't I want to feed on this human?... Why isn't the scent appealing? What's wrong with me?"_

I just continued to follow my family, deciding that my my questions would be answered soon enough.

* * *

We finally made it to the receptionist's desk, and my mind was suddenly consumed by a bell-like, melodic voice. The stawberry-freesia scent also increased, leading me to believe that this was the girl the scent belonged to. Unfortunately, a large, blonde figure was blocking me from putting a face to that voice and aroma.

"So babe, how old are you?" the blond asked.

The angelic voice said bluntly, clearly uninterested, "Sixteen." My forehead creased. They were hiring teenagers to work now? That was just wrong.

I wondered what would become of this girl when the Volturi got tired of her. Would they change her? Or drain her? I frowned at both options.

I tried listening out for her thoughts, but only heard the ones of my family. Again, I tried zoning out my family's thoughts, but the only other thoughts I came across were of the perverted blond in front of me. I immediately tuned those out, keeping down my shudder.

My eyebrow creased. Why couldn't I hear her thoughts?

The blond whistled, "So I guess you and me hooking up would be statutory rape, then? Damn." My hands balled up into fists. I couldn't believe how disgusting people were nowadays.

"There are other people waiting for help. Please leave," getting no reaction from the blond, she continued,

"Leave now, or else I'll get someone to forcibly remove you," the girl said, frustration clear in his voice.

"Sure, babe. Once it's you doing the removing…" I could just picture the guy winking suggestively at the girl, while she rolled her eyes. She sighed, clearly exhausted.

"No, but really. When am I gonna get up on that?" the blond questioned, still not getting the hint. I was getting ready to punch him. No girl deserved to be talked to in this manner.

"When hell freezes over. Twice," I couldn't help but chuckle at her response.

The blond, finally receiving her frustration, gave up, "Ouch, that was cold. Okay, fine, I'm going. But, babe? You should know that it really turns me on when girls play hard to get."

The blond turned around to leave, and my eyes narrowed at his red ones. It was only then that I realized how brave this girl truly was for standing up to a guy who could easily kill her with one move.

My family wore expressions of disgust on their faces as the guy left our sight.

It was only then that I finally got a glimpse of the girl that possessed the musical voice and wonderful scent.

I gaped.

I wanted more than anything to read her thoughts, and find out what she was thinking. It was frustrating being blocked from someone's mind, especially someone whose mind I wanted to read more than anyone else's.

I'm pretty sure if my heart was still beating, it would be palpitating right now. She was absolutely gorgeous. Never had I ever seen a girl more beautiful than her in my existence. Her mahogany hair fell down in soft waves, framing her heart-shaped face. She wore little make-up, though she didn't need any at all. She had natural beauty, I could tell. Lastly, she had the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes. I could swim in them for days, and I think I was, until I heard her greet us.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. It took a _while_ for him to get the hint," she laughed, music to my ears. I snapped out of my reverie. What was I thinking? She was a human. I could not be thinking this way about a human.

I shook my head. Rosalie spoke up, "Why are you apologizing? I was tempted to beat the crap out of that guy for you."

The girl blushed. My dead heart skipped a beat. It was a sight to see. She looked so pure and innocent.

"Thank you," she smiled politely to Rosalie, who smiled back.

I was surprised - to say the least - that Rosalie was being so nice to the human girl. Rosalie usually hated humans, and she didn't hesitate to show it. It was all due to her jealousy of them, as she was robbed of her chance at humanity after she was turned. She still hasn't fully gotten over that fact.

Her sudden change in attitude was probably because she felt very defensive when it came to topics such as rape. That only seemed right considering her past.

"I guess you all must be the Cullens?" it came out as a question. I was surprised. How did she know? Random people must walk in and out of this place every day.

The girl glanced at me, and noticing my surprised expression, she explained, "Your eyes gave you away. And I know that the Denalis aren't coming until a few extra days."

Confusion and shock painted my face. "How do you know so much about... vampires? I didn't know they clued in the receptionist so much," I spoke my thoughts aloud.

Realization dawned on her face and her mouth formed a small 'o' - it was quite adorable - before she clarified, "Oh, I'm not the receptionist. I'm just filling in for her while she's gone to run an errand. I'm Bella."

Bella. It suited her perfectly. It meant 'beautiful' in Italian.

"It's lovely to meet you, Bella," Esme smiled warmly.

"Likewise," Bella returned the smile.

"So um… who exactly are you?" Jasper spoke up. "Not trying to be rude or anything…"

She furrowed her eyebrows together, "You don't know? …Wow, when Felix said you guys were out of touch with the vampire world, he meant _really_ out of touch."

Our expressions remained blank, and Bella thought for a moment.

She then sighed, "Well, you guys are probably wondering why a random human is lurking about in the Volturi right now." We all nodded.

"Okay, well. I'm not exactly… human," she spoke cautiously, awaiting our reactions. I arched my eyebrow at that. What did she mean? Of course she was. I could hear her steady heartbeat from across the desk.

Realizing that her answer hadn't explained much, she plowed on, "No, I mean, I am. It's just…. Not completely. I'm half human, half vampire." Bella finished. We all stood there, shell-shocked. Was she joking?

Carlisle spoke for the first time, "How is that even possible? And why would Aro, Caius and Marcus let you stay here, when the most important rule in the vampire world was broken in order for you to be born?"

"Good question. You should know the answer to the first part… same way all children are created. And as for your second question, probably - and this is just a guess. Probably because one of them _is_ my father," I could tell Bella was trying to explain this without shocking us too much. She spoke slowly, gauging our reactions.

What? It was utterly disbelieving to me that something like that was possible, but I realized that it only made sense for her to be half-vampire. Her scent didn't make me crave her blood, and she didn't cower away from us. In fact, her personality was similar, if only slightly, to one of the kings of the vampire world. The way she was funny, and witty…

"You're Aro's daughter, aren't you?" I asked making her head dart up to stare into my eyes intensely. I stared right back.

"Yes, Edward, I am," she said softly. My name rolled off her tongue beautifully. I wanted her to say it again, and again, until I realized… "How do you know my name?" See, this is where the whole mind-reading thing would come in handy. So I wouldn't have to ask so many questions. I felt like I was being a pest. I wanted desperately to know why I couldn't get into her mind.

Was someone shielding her?

Her striking blush returned before explaining to all of us, "I did background checks on everyone before we sent out the invites. So, I know almost everything about everyone. Your powers, et cetera. I didn't want _total_ psychopaths attending." She shrugged, making us all laugh.

"Just semi-psychopaths?" I clarified.

Bella laughed, making me smile unconsciously, "Yeah, basically."

I mentally cringed. Was I...flirting? It was like I had no control over my mouth around this girl. Words came flying out before I could really think about them.

She bit her lip, shifting her eyes to each of us, "So, you all probably have more questions."

We all nodded, almost simultaneously, "Well, lucky for you, Gianna just came back." As if on cue, an older woman who was most definitely fully human walked in, looking extremely frazzled.

"Oh my gosh Bella, thank you so much for doing this. I completely forgot to pick Bruce up from school. I'm a terrible mom," the receptionist said, unaware of our presence.

Bella stood up with a kind smile on her face, "It's okay. I know how it is. My parents always forgot to pick Jace and me up from our extra-curricular activities."

_Jace? Who was Jace?, _I wondered.

"Good luck with the rest of your work," Bella said goodbye to Gianna walking up to my family.

Gianna had seemed to relax, until she saw my family. She quickly peered down into the work on her desk, looking busy, and trying to look oblivious to our presence. I didn't blame her. If I was human, I would be terrified to make eye-contact with anyone.

"I'll show you to your rooms. Oh, and if you want, you can start the questions now…" Bella led us to a pair of large, oak doors, and opened them. The last time I came here was about thirty years ago, yet not a thing had changed. Everything still stood in its Roman glory.

Large white pillars stood in each corner of the room. There were several doors leading to different rooms, and a winding staircase was placed on the right side of the room, leading to a floor above.

Emmett started off first, "So your mom and dad, was it a one-night stand?" My family and I snapped our heads in Emmett's direction, with similar expressions of shock.

He held his hands up in defense, "What? Just curious…"

Bella giggled, "No, it's okay. Um, no, it wasn't. My dad was about to… feed on her, one day - she came in with a group of tourists. But he didn't end up doing anything, because he realized that she was different. My mom, Renée, wasn't scared at all of what was happening. My dad found that extremely strange, yet intriguing. She didn't fear vampires, so my dad decided to keep her around: first, as a receptionist. But eventually, they developed feelings for each other… and they got married. No one knew, except for Uncle Marcus and Caius.

"My uncles didn't exactly approve of his decision, knowing that it was breaking one of their rules, but they didn't want to prevent him from being happy. My dad didn't know that it was possible for vampires and humans to have children. So after their honeymoon, he was shocked when she got pregnant-" Suddenly, we were interrupted by someone shouting, "Bellarina!" before engulfing Bella in a tight hug. I felt an urge to pull them apart, but I shook it off, wondering what was going on with me.

"Oh my gosh. Jace, please tell me that you're soaked in water right now," Bella squeaked out, closing her eyes and holding her breath.

"But I don't lie, Bella," Jace said calmly, and mischievously.

Then, Bella was squirming out of his grasp. "Eww," she shuddered.

Jace shook his, what I'm assuming was, sweat-soaked black hair in Bella's direction, laughing when she glared.

Bella turned to my family, looking apologetic, "I'm sorry, I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm just going to take a _very, long shower_." She stared pointedly at Jace who simply shrugged.

"Was that really necessary?" Bella glared. Jace only smirked.

That just seemed to fuel her frustration.

"I'm trying really hard not to slap that smile off of your face," It was actually quite cute when she was mad. Her lips jutted out in a pout, her eyes squinted, and her eyebrows came together in a glare.

She rolled her eyes, turning around and walking away. The front of her shirt had looked slightly damp, while her jean shorts didn't look too affected.

"Love you too," Jace called after her retreating figure. I don't know why his words made me feel so... I don't know, but they did. Jasper looked at me with a funny expression on his face, like he knew what I was feeling. I turned away, avoiding eye-contact with him.

Seriously, what was going on with me?

"So, you're the Cullens, right?" Jace turned towards us. He was tall, and looked about Bella's age. He had jet black hair, and blue-grey eyes. He was quite muscular, about my build, and he was wearing a soccer uniform with muddy sneakers. His red and white uniform was drenched with sweat along with his body.

After hearing that we were, in fact, the Cullens, the guy introduced himself, "I'm Jace, Bella's brother."

My body relaxed instantly after hearing that Bella and Jace were related. I had no idea why. I mean, I shouldn't have cared if Jace was instead her boyfriend, or something. I didn't even know Bella.

_I shouldn't care_, I convinced myself.

"So there are more of you?" Rosalie asked, eyes wide.

Jace laughed, "No, no. Just Bella and I. We're fraternal twins. There aren't going to be any more of 'us'."

I crinkled my eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?" Thankfully, I could read _his_ mind:

"_Hmm, they seem like nice people. Finally some vegetarian vampires. Human blood-drinkers are alright, but they give me the creeps." _

He didn't answer my question in his mind, but at least I knew that Jace wasn't shielded like Bella. Could that be her gift? A shield?

Jace explained, "Well my dad realized the consequences of fraternizing with a human. He reinforced the 'no relationships with humans' law. He doesn't want any more abominations to be created." At the end, Jace's tone turned bitter.

"Your father think that you're an abomination?" Esme asked gently. Jace visibly softened under her tone, and I smiled knowingly. Esme just had that motherly effect to her, that made it impossible for anyone to be mad while with her.

"Well yeah, we weren't supposed to happen. Our mom had to be changed after our births, because we were basically breaking her body due to our strength. We're not vicious, man-slaughtering monsters - we don't even drink human blood… because that's like cannibalism if you think about it - but my dad's convinced that if this ever happens again, the 'product' may not be as controlled," Jace rolled his eyes at the end.

I nodded in understanding. I mean I kind of got where Aro was coming from. He didn't know what would happen to the next half-human, half-vampire created. For all he knew, it could end up being extremely dangerous and uncontrollable. I highly doubted that, after meeting Bella and Jace, but I guess Aro was only trying to be smart.

"Don't get me wrong. My dad loves us, and he cares about us. He just doesn't want this to ever happen again. Even though we're the best things that happened to him," Jace smiled at the end, shaking his head.

I guess things _had_ changed after all. Who knew Aro would ever have kids? Who he loved and cherished?

Jace showed us to our rooms where we got settled in. Huh, I guess this trip wasn't turning out to be so awful after all.

* * *

**So how was that? It didn't come out how I wanted it to. Hopefully, it'll get better. Please just give it some time **

**I love all reviews… good, bad. I just like feedback :D **

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	2. Chapter 2

**HOLY MOLY! Your feedback has been mind-blowing. I never imagined getting so many story alerts in one day. I decided to give you guys a little gift for your support :P *flexes fingers* let's get this story going. I hope I don't disappoint :|  
This chapter shall be in Bella's Point of View :)**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight_.

Chapter 2

Bella

After taking a nice long shower, I got dressed in a black cotton tank top with a pair of skinny jeans and my Aldo flip flops. My hair was in its usual form: gently flowing down in dark brown waves, while my makeup consisted of some black eyeliner and lipgloss. It was really hot and sunny in Volterra these days, and thankfully school had just gone out, so I was free to enjoy my summer.

Originally, Jace and I were both home-schooled due to my dad's over-protectiveness. After a while however, around the time we turned 10, Jace put his foot down demanding that we be put in a school with kids our age. It kind of got to us being around adults all the time.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoy school, mostly because it's a breeze to me and my friends are really sweet.  
I don't have a hard time at school because I learn and retain things faster than the average student, along with my brother. This is due to our vampiric genes. Also, because most of the vampires living with us are hundreds of years old, they know a lot of subjects in depth. So I was able to learn a lot.

In addition to being smart, I also have extraordinary fighting skills. Not meaning to brag or anything.  
Of course, my powers are a great help. Jace and I are connected in the way that we have powers which go hand in hand with one another. I have a mental shield, while he has a physical shield. We've both mastered control over them. I also have the power to control two elements: wind and earth, while Jace has command over the other two: water and fire.

The finest assassins in the Volturi fear my brother and me; not only because of our lineage, but because our powers can be lethal - although I avoid using my powers for deadly reasons at all costs. I'd like to think of myself as a caring person…most of the time.

After a while of just relaxing on my bed, my thoughts raced back to the present, and I couldn't help the slight blush that crept onto my neck and cheeks.

I was thinking about him. He had just arrived with his family today, and he was by far the most handsome guy I'd ever seen. I mean, ever.

His eyes were the same color as the rest of his family: a deep topaz, but after getting lost in them for one too many seconds long, I noticed that I could see many emotions filled within them.

It was mesmerizing.

He had a perfectly angular nose, and a well-defined jawline that any Abercrombie model would kill for. His lips, when they pulled up into this gorgeous crooked smile, I had to prevent my heartbeat from racing. Lastly, his messy bronze hair looked oh so soft, and I just wanted to pass my hands through it. I basically had to control myself from smiling like a creepy pedophile at him every time he addressed me.

Cue facepalm.

I didn't know what it was about him: his looks, or his velvety smooth voice, or maybe a combination of both that made my face turn red, and my heart skip a beat. I sighed, covering my face with my hands.  
I could not be thinking this way about Edward Cullen. I mean, sure. He didn't come with anyone, but I was sure that he'd find a girl much prettier than me at the ball.

Still… a little crush couldn't hurt.

* * *

I walked into Jace's room about an hour later to find the Cullens, minus Carlisle and Esme, hanging around. I learned that they had branched off to catch up with my dad and uncles.

Jace was playing Halo with Emmett, and surprisingly, Emmett was dominating. It was surprising because Jace was amazing at video games - not as amazing as I was, but still pretty good.

I know, it's weird that I'm better at video games than Jace, but I guess, I'm not a stereotypical teenage girl.

Rosalie was reading a magazine nonchalantly, while Alice and Jasper were cuddled up to each other talking silently. They were such a cute couple. I could tell that they would do anything for each other. Edward was looking uninterestedly at the game, and as soon as I walked in, he looked up.

He smiled shortly, and I smiled back, before sitting down on a recliner next to his. Everyone greeted me kindly as I sat down, except for Emmett and Jace who were too engrossed in the game to pay attention to me. They were currently doing a combat, and I watched as Emmett performed a relatively tricky punch sequence, followed by a round-house kick.

Jace ended up losing, and I smiled, speaking up, "Can I try?" I needed a distraction so that I wouldn't spend the entire time secretly ogling Edward. Gaming would be the perfect opportunity for distraction.

Emmett looked baffled at my suggestion though, "No offense, but, are you sure? I mean, I just kicked your brother's ass at this game."

I shrugged innocently, playing dumb. If only he knew that I was the person who held the high score in this game. I was definitely going to make sure he ate his words.

Jace understood what I was doing and grinned at me. Edward must've read Jace's mind because I heard him chuckle softly, looking at me.

Is it weird that I felt all giggly after realizing his chuckle was directed to me? A little…?

The combat started, and I barely gave Emmett time to calculate his moves, before I was hitting in sequences, one after another. He barely got in one kick, before I shot him down.

I smiled victoriously at Emmett's frozen figure, "I'm sorry_, what_ were you saying again?"

Jace laughed, "Bella's a freaking boss at video games. I'm nowhere near as good as her."

Emmett stuttered, "Wha-How?"

I sighed, shrugging slightly, "I'm a geek, I guess. I'm good at anything logical, really."

Emmett coughed, apologizing, clearly embarrassed. I smiled, brushing it off, telling him I forgave him and got where he was coming from. Some guys just didn't expect to get beaten by a girl. A bit chauvinistic, but that's how the world is.

"Bella, you've got to teach me how to play this game like that," Jasper stared wide-eyed at the screen.

Edward agreed, "Yeah, I'd love to wipe that smirk off Emmett's face once in a while."

I laughed, agreeing, before leaving the gaming to the boys, and walking over to start up a conversation with Rosalie and Alice.

I was enjoying having the Cullens over. They seemed like really sweet, genuine people, not to mention, they were family-oriented -which was lovely.

After a few minutes of hanging out with them, I received a text from Anne, saying that the store was pretty busy, so she would stay for a little bit longer. Anne was an employee at the women's clothing store that I owned, called 'La Rouge'. Jace was in charge of a men's clothing store, 'Le Bleu'. He hardly bothered going to check up on it, but did occasionally.

I guess I was more into the management of the stores. It kept me occupied.

It was the end of the month, and I usually went to check up the sales and deposit money to the bank... Normal store stuff. I decided to go to help out Anne as well. I told Jace where I was headed and asked the Cullens if they wanted to go out to mall to hang out. It was shockingly overcast today, so the sun wouldn't be a problem.

They all turned to Alice, who spaced out for a little bit... Probably getting a vision. Then her face lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically.

We took two cars to go. Jace went with his black Lamborghini, and I went with my navy blue Ferrari. I took the girls, while Jace took the guys. Rosalie and Alice told me a lot about themselves and asked me a few more questions, which I answered freely. I was usually careful about information I spilled to strangers, because I trusted very few people, but somehow, I knew the Cullens wouldn't use my trust against me.

I only knew Rosalie and Alice for a day, and they were already treating me like their best friend. I had heard about Rosalie's past, and I could tell that she had a lot of walls built-up, so I felt special that she let them down around me, almost like if I was family.

* * *

By the time we reached to the mall, it was quite crowded. It was Friday afternoon, so a bunch of teenagers were just hanging out, and buying new clothes for the summer.

I waltzed into the store, seeing lots of girls searching the room, finding outfits to buy. I had to admit, my store had really pretty clothes, so it wasn't a surprise that the store did well. Jace's store didn't do as well as mine, because guys don't really shop that much, unless necessary. He still did well enough to keep himself afloat though.

Alice squealed seeing all the cute clothes and I stifled a giggle. Wow, she was energetic. Anne seemed to be handling everything well. She was the manager, so there were two other employees working under her, and they were working the floor helpfully.

I let Alice browse the store for a while while Rosalie hung back to talk to me, "So this is your store?" She sounded impressed.

"Um, yeah, my mom was the one who started up both businesses… but she died two years ago. So the businesses were passed down to Jace and I. Luckily, I used to help out in the store when I was younger, and my mom taught me enough so that I would know what to do. I only officially started running the store this year. I had left it in the care of the managers, who seem to do a pretty good job, but I wanted to be more involved. Technically, it's not mine until I turn eighteen. So, my dad owns both stores right now," I explained.

"Oh my gosh, Bella. I'm so sorry. I had no idea about your mom. Gosh, I feel so stupid… Are you okay? What am I saying... Of course you're not," Rosalie sighed, looking apologetic.

"No, don't apologize. It's okay, really. I hardly talk about it, so I forget sometimes that she's gone. It's alright, I'm fine," I smiled reassuringly at Rosalie. She was really nice. I was starting to really like her.

"You're doing a great job at running it though. I'm wondering why you decided to keep it. I mean, surely at the time, you must've thought it was a lot to handle," Rosalie questioned. She posed a good question. Not a lot of people have asked that.

"Yeah, definitely. I considered just telling my dad to sell it when she died, but in the end it just didn't feel right. My mom put a lot of effort into making these businesses. So I didn't want to throw it all away. I also wanted to be able to make my own money, you know? I hate asking for my dad to buy me stuff... sometimes I like to be able to pull out my credit card knowing that it's my money being used," I confessed.

"Really Bella, I'd just like to say that it's really admirable that you're running your mom's store all on your own. You're more mature than any sixteen year-old I know," Rosalie praised.

I thanked Rosalie. It was one of those moments where I felt that my mom was smiling down at me saying how proud she was of me. I really missed her…

I tried not to dwell on her memory too much, because my mind always drifted back to… _that_ day. I shook the deflated feeling I got, trying not to let the tears well up in my eyes. I could almost hear the screams. I took a deep breath… in and out.

Rosalie went to look for Alice, and shop for herself too, while I helped out customers in need of assistance, trying to distract myself from reliving my worst memory.

* * *

Eventually the guys came over with bags from the electronic store: probably more video games. I sighed, thinking, "_Boys_."I mean, I was great at video games, but I didn't spend a lot of time playing them. Anymore. I used to, when I was younger, and a lot dorkier.

I noticed Edward glancing at me with a frustrated expression on his face. I raised my eyebrows in question. He relaxed, chuckling, "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare. It's just; I've been wondering why I can't read your mind."

He was speaking lowly, so that customers couldn't hear. One of the pros of being a vampire: no nosy humans could eavesdrop on our conversations.

I smirked, "Why?... Do you want to?" Immediately, I wanted to slap myself._ What was wrong with me? _I could not be flirting with Edward Cullen.

_How embarrassing,_ I sighed.

Edward laughed nervously, "I mean…yeah, kind of. You're the only one whose mind I can't read… and it's…different." He looked down, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck.

"Edward, I was joking. Don't worry about it," I laughed, before continuing, "Um, one of my powers is a mental shield. So it prevents people with mental powers or powers to do with the mind, from affecting me. For instance, Jane and Alec's powers don't work on me. Along with Chelsea's."

Edward nodded, with an expression of understanding on his face. It was really cute. Ugh, there I go again.

"You said 'one of'? As in, you have more than one power? ...I'm really sorry for prying..." Edward looked apologetic at the end.  
I smiled. I actually felt flattered that he was asking me so many questions, like he was actually interested in me, "It's fine, really. Yeah, I have a mental shield along with power over wind and earth."

"Wow," Edward breathed, "That's... Really amazing."

I laughed, a slight blush forming on my cheeks, "Not really, but thanks."

Edward looked at me with a funny expression on his face, "You know, Bella," my heart jumped a beat when he said my name, "you're not at all what I expected. I mean, you're extremely powerful... Yet you act so modest about it."

"Is that a compliment?" I asked curiously.

Edward rushed, "Yes, definitely. It's just, you're practically the princess of the vampire world, but I'm starting to learn that you're a really kind-hearted person."

My heart warmed at his words, "Thank you, Edward…that means a lot. You're not too bad yourself."

He grinned at my words, before we both turned to see Alice walk up to the counter with a handful of clothes. My eyes widened.

"Does she always shop this much?" I turned to ask Edward, who was already looking at me. I blushed, and he looked away sheepishly.

He chuckled, "You haven't seen the half of it yet."

* * *

Alice and Rosalie finished paying for their clothes, which I gave them a huge discount on. They whined, saying that I really shouldn't have done that, but I simply convinced them that they were only staying in Italy for a few weeks, so it was unfair if I made them pay full price. They shook their heads, but nevertheless, thanked me profusely.

I could tell that the Cullens were enjoying their time in Italy, just as much as I was enjoying their company.

We were having a fun time..we all even ended up pulling this hilarious prank in Starbucks that led to the manager kicking us out…possibly forever, but it was totally worth it. We were smiling all the way back home, and I really felt like I had made five new best friends that day. I mean, my human friends were amazing, but there was always that underlying fact that I couldn't fully be myself around them.

It was all in all, a great day. I couldn't wait to hang out more the Cullens… especially Edward.

There was just something about him that pulled me in. He didn't even realize it.

* * *

**So this was a short, boring chapter, but I just kind of wanted to develop the relationship between the Cullens and Bella and Jace. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better. I know, my writing isn't that amazing, but I'm quite rusty… it's summer vacation :P **

**I think you all can figure out what happened to Bella's mom. But I'll get more in depth with it later on. Just wanted to introduce that factor. **

**Enough of my rambling, HOW WAS IT? :) haha, please review… I love them. I reply to all :D **

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All of the characters in this story (besides Jace) belong to Stephenie Meyer._

Chapter 3

Bella

A few days had passed by, and the Cullens and I had fallen into a routine of hanging out all the time. I had witnessed that Esme and Carlisle were very gentle and caring parents to their children. They were even treating Jace and I with such love that I felt like part of the family.

Edward and I had learned that we had a lot in common, so I was finding myself getting closer to him more than anyone else. He actually listened to me, and I felt like I could talk to him about almost anything. Almost, being the word. There was still one thing that I couldn't bring myself to talk about... I hadn't even told Jace.

Edward knew about my mom. He had probably read Rosalie's mind or something, but I was glad that he didn't pry. He actually respected my privacy, which was something I liked about him. Amongst other things, obviously.

My crush was growing more and more every day, but I was really scared that Edward didn't like me that, so I kept it in. He was a really great friend to me, so I didn't want to ruin it by saying that I liked him when he didn't reciprocate the feelings: because that would be plain awkward.

Felix, Demetri and Heidi were going to race each other with one of many sports cars that the Volturi owned. I rolled my eyes, and wasn't surprised when Jace and Emmett joined them.

We all ended up going to the race track and watched as each of them got into their respective cars. I preferred watching cars race each other than actually being behind the wheel doing the racing. That was one thing that Jace was better than me at. Like all vampires, he had the need for speed.

I sat down next to Edward, "So do you like racing?"

Edward wrinkled his eyebrows in thought, "I like it to a certain extent. Driving fast is certainly one of the many things I enjoy doing, but I don't really like racing against people. It's just not that fun to me." I nodded.

"So are you excited for the ball?" I was curious as to what he would say.

He chuckled, "Kind of. I don't really like big events that much, but I'm sure it'll be fun… with you." He looked at me, waiting for my reaction, I guess.

I blushed, looking away. I knew that he couldn't have meant that in a romantic kind of way. It had to be friendly… right?

"Yeah, I think it'll be fun with you there, too," I smiled, not looking at him, afraid that my expression would give away the fact that I meant that in a not-so-friendly way.

My eyes were trained on the cars as they zoomed, starting to race. Demetri was currently in the lead followed closely by Jace, then Emmett, who Felix was tailing. Heidi was lagging behind, probably waiting until the second or final lap to send her Fisker into full speed. That was one of her tricks that usually worked. Guys always underestimated girls.

Towards the final lap, Felix sped past everyone into first place, followed by Heidi-like I'd predicted, she'd made her way into the top three- then Emmett, Jace, then Demetri. I thought it was funny that he started out first then got bumped into last place.

They all hopped out of their cars and we watched as Felix boasted that he won to everyone, before Heidi smacked him upside down the head. Then they made-out with each other. I rolled my eyes, smiling, _typical couples._

Emmett cheered excitedly, "Third place, baby," before he too kissed his wife. Jace sighed, fixing his messy hair before sitting next to me. I knew exactly what was going through his head.

"Why don't you call her?" I implored, to which Jace sighed again, shaking his head.

"I can't. Lainey hates me so much now, and I can't exactly blame her. I screamed at her for hanging out with her ex last week and it turns out, he was only introducing Lainey to his new girlfriend. Gosh, I was so stupid. I thought she was… I don't know. I just shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," Jace bent his head down.

I had never actually been in a relationship before, so I wasn't sure what I should say to him. I've dated a few guys before, but none of them really cared about me. Jace and Lainey were so perfect each other.

She was human, but she grew up believing in vampires and werewolves and witches. So she wasn't confused or afraid when Jace told her what he was. My dad didn't know that Jace told her, and he probably wasn't going to know for a while. Or else Jace would get in major trouble for exposing us.

"Yeah, you shouldn't have, but you did. You can't change the past, but you can move forward. Trust me, Lainey doesn't hate you… she'll forgive you if you apologize and explain yourself. It may not happen in a day, but she will. Just give it time. She loves you, and you love her. Don't just give up on your relationship because of one stupid mistake on your behalf," I convinced my brother. I wasn't going to let him end a perfectly good relationship.

He looked up at me with his pale blue eyes, "You always give the greatest advice, Bells."

I scoffed, "No, I don't."

Jace rolled his eyes, "I think I'll go to talk to her. Thanks sis."

I smiled, before Jace got up and left to go get his girl back, saying a quick goodbye to everyone. He would catch up with us later, hopefully happier than he had been this past week. You couldn't really tell that he was hurting, because Jace put up a good front, but you could see it in his eyes. I knew that Lainey would take him back though. They've been through a lot together.

"He's right. That was great advice...

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Edward apologized at the end.

I smiled, "Edward, you need to stop apologizing."

He chuckled, making my head spin. I loved his laugh. It was so musical, yet manly... If that makes sense.

"I know, I'm sorry… oh wait, I didn't mean to do it again," he made a face like 'Oops!' which was quite funny, and got us to laughing.

"Would you forgive him? I mean, if your boyfriend did something like that to you. Would you forgive him?" Edward asked abruptly. I was a bit startled at his questioning, but nevertheless answered honestly. Like I said, I felt like I could tell Edward anything without feeling too weird about it or worried that he was judging me.

I answered, "Definitely. I mean once I understood why he would scream at me, and he apologized every single day that we were together, then yeah. I mean, it would take some time to be all couple-y again, because that's something hard to bounce back from. It's never nice being shouted at, but I get that sometimes anger and jealousy take over." Edward looked surprised at my answer. He always looked surprised, which I kind of found flattering.

"You're really a lovely person, Bella," Edward complimented me, making me blush uncontrollably.

"I like your blush," Edward whispered, before his eyes widened slightly. I didn't think he meant to say that out loud.

I blushed even harder at his comment, certain that I was going to turn into a tomato.

I breathed out, "Thanks."

For some reason, I felt compelled to look up at him at that moment, accidentally getting lost in his topaz eyes. He was staring into my own dull brown eyes, looking like he was searching for something. I'm sure my heartbeat had increased ever so slightly at the amount of attention he was giving me.

Then I blinked, breaking… whatever that was, before looking anywhere but his eyes.

"Bella, do you-" Edward cut himself off, sighing before running his hands through his copper-colored hair. I looked up at him, smiling encouragingly, "What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, looking embarrassed.

I wasn't going to let him drop it that easily, "No… tell me."

"Please," I pouted, jutting out my bottom lip. He looked at me with a funny expression on his face, smiling slightly, and looking a little…Dazed? No, that couldn't be right. I brushed it off in my mind.

He sighed, "I was just… I was wondering if you had a boyfriend."

My eyes widened, a little surprised. Why was he asking me that? Why did he want to know?

But wasn't it obvious I didn't have a boyfriend? I decided to just make him sweat a little.

"Why? Do you wanna know if I'm single?" I raised both eyebrows at him, grinning. I actually wanted to hear how he answered this question. He chuckled nervously, looking away.

"Um, I was just-uh," he was stuttering.

I couldn't help but giggle, speaking my thoughts out loud, "Edward, you're so cute."

He exhaled at my words, gaping at me, "What?"

"I said that you're cute," I smiled, probably at my newfound confidence to tell him that, "and to answer your question. No, I do not have a boyfriend."

He plowed on, "Why not?" Why did he want to know so much about me?

"You ask a lot of questions. Why do you wanna know?" I asked.

"I'm curious…about you," Edward shrugged looking at me.

"I can tell…" I was hoping to avoid this conversation, unsuccessfully apparently, as he gave me a crooked smile-which made my heart jump- before saying, "You didn't answer the question."

I sighed, "Fine, since you don't wanna leave it alone…

"But you _cannot _tell _anyone,_" I looked seriously at him.

Edward promised not to tell, looking a little confused and unsettled at my behaviour.

I took a deep breath, "I'm secretly married…to Justin Bieber." I closed my eyes feigning anticipation for Edward's answer.

"Bella, that's not funny," Edward berated, looking really sexy with a frown on his face.

I giggled at his expression, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Um, I don't know. I've dated a lot of guys, but I couldn't see any of them as more than a date. I saw no potential relationships…you know? I guess I have high standards, and a lot of the guys I dated were good-looking, but they didn't have the personality that I wanted. None of them were sweet, or caring, or understanding. They didn't pay attention to me, or even want to know me for that matter. Just… uh-how do I put this without sounding gross?-they just wanted to…. you know," I made an awkward hand gesture at the end, which Edward got. He looked sad. Why though?

It felt weird spilling why I didn't have a boyfriend to Edward. All I really wanted to say was, "Because no one's like you." Edward was everything I always wanted in a guy. Obviously I couldn't say that without freaking him out. _He_ was sweet, caring, and understanding… _and_ he paid attention to me, more so than any guy I'd ever met. Plus the whole hotness factor was an added plus.

"I'm really sorry you haven't found someone for you as yet. You deserve someone who'll treat you right, and who'll take time to get to know you. Because you're a great person," Edward told me with nothing but honesty in his eyes.

All I wanted to scream at that point was, "I'VE ALREADY FOUND THAT PERSON. HE'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. PLEASE BE MY BOYFRIEND, EDWARD?" Unfortunately, I couldn't do that… because it'd be embarrassing. Extremely embarrassing.

I settled for, "Thanks. I'm working on it." If only he could understand what I meant by that.

"So what about you, Edward Cullen? Why hasn't a girl caught your eye as yet?" I asked inquiringly, propping my elbow onto my thigh, before resting my chin on my hand.

Edward chuckled, a secret smile creeping onto his face, "Who said she hasn't?" He gave me one of those intense looks. You know the ones that you couldn't look away from? I felt like I had gone incoherent.

He…dazzled me-I couldn't describe it. Looking into his topaz gems of eyes, I was at a loss for words.

Now it was my turn to stutter, "Uh-I-um-I didn't think- I'm sorry." My neck and cheeks heated up, not only at that fact that his answer made me unnerved, but at the look he'd given me after he vaguely answered. Was he joking? I hoped he was joking, because I knew my heart was silently shattering at the fact that he liked another girl.

Edward grinned crookedly, making me melt, before saying, "Same reason as you. A lot of girls like me for my looks, but none of them…know me."

So he answered my question, meaning that his last comment was just him teasing me. Whew, I mentally wiped my forehead in relief.

"Yeah, it's annoying, isn't it?" I shook my head.

"Completely," Edward agreed. We sat there in a comfortable silence, as everyone continued with their own conversation, too wrapped up to hear what we were talking about. Or so I hoped.

"So do you know what this whole ball is about? Don't get me wrong, I like being here, but I've just been wondering 'why now?'" Edward pondered.

I bit my lip, "I actually have no idea. I've been thinking the same thing as you. At first, I thought he was just going to invite you all, and the Denalis, to celebrate the fact that he'd changed his diet to strictly animal blood-because of Jace and I-and actually stuck with it all these years, But then he invited all of the vampires he's ever known, so I ruled that out." I shrugged, looking as confused as Edward.

"Well I guess we'll just have to find out then," Edward cocked his eyebrows up before smiling. I smiled back, before Edward and I decided to stop being so anti-social and go talk to the others.

The girls gave me knowing looks as I sat down, and I wondered if they knew about my crush on Edward. I decided they must have, because Jasper surely must've felt it. Ugh. I felt so embarrassed. I shouldn't like Edward. He would never have feelings for me. I wasn't as pretty as half the vampires who would attend the ball, and there had to be someone else who be the perfect mate for Edward.

It couldn't be me. As much as I wanted it to be. I wasn't what Edward deserved to have. Jasper seemed to feel my conflicting emotions, and sent me a wave of calm wrinkling his eyebrows at me worriedly. I shook my head, playing it off, but Edward seemed to notice it too as he asked me if I was alright, low enough so no one would hear.

I told him I was fine, but I couldn't help but think about how I was going to get away with liking Edward. I knew Jasper was respecting my privacy by not thinking about the excitement and happiness I felt when I was with Edward, but what if he slipped up and Edward found out? I took a deep breath, calming myself.

I cleared my mind. I just needed to enjoy having Edward as my friend, and not worry too much about if he found out about my crush on him.

I couldn't help but wonder if what I was feeling was just a crush though. Could it be more?

* * *

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**This was just a cute chapter to keep you all satisfied. We'll get to the good stuff eventually :) can't wait! Anyways, please continue to review, because I love feedback. Any corrections… don't be scared to tell me :P **

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**LoveACullen **


	4. Chapter 4

**Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who reviewed my story so far: **

_**Blue-Eyed-Mutant, natashar, Karebears198, VMarie2010, xxlovethisxx, TwilightLoverGirl1, ElenaLouise13, ****Lydiaa0x****, Sweetie7smiled, Holidai, TwilightLove100, **_**_CullenLover (Guest)_, _Rachel (Guest), _**_********__alicecullenforev (Guest)_******, and 1 **_Guest._

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**Now… on with the story. **

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight._

Chapter 4

Bella

It was finally the day of the much awaited ball. The Denalis and other covens had arrived the day before and only planned on staying for a few days. The Denalis were currently hanging out with Carlisle, Esme, Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They seemed like a nice family, but I was still more comfortable around the Cullens. It was possibly because Tanya flirted with Edward every second of the day.

I was glad that the Cullens were staying for an extra week since they were having such a good time. I felt like I had a second family. It was a few hours before the actual ball started so everyone was just hanging out in my room.

Edward had been impressed with my large bookshelf containing some of my favorite novels and CDs, making my ego boost. We were all talking to each other in one large group before Jace got a call on his iPhone. He answered it, rolling his eyes at the Caller ID.

"Yeah?" Jace answered, in a bored tone. I perked an eyebrow up, and he just shook his head mouthing, "Ryan," to me. I made a face. I really disliked that guy. He flirted with anything and everything that moved.

"Nah, we have plans. Maybe next week, yeah, okay, bye," Jace hung up.

He turned to me with wide eyes, "Ryan has the _nerve _to ask me, to ask you out for him."

"Who's Ryan?" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

I laughed, "Just some guy we go to school with. He likes me, I guess, but I don't feel the same way. He just doesn't get that, though." I shook my head towards the end. I felt Edward tense up on the couch, or maybe I was just imagining things. Yeah, probably.

"Do you know his mom came into the store the other day, and asked me to go out with him? That was _the _most awkward conversation I've ever had in my life. I don't get parents these days, honestly. She was all, 'Make sure and give Ry a call, because I don't want him to be hanging out with the wrong crowd of people. And he really likes you,' I was like '….Yeah, okay,'" I smacked my palm to my forehead.

"Seriously?" Alice asked, and I noticed that everyone else wore similar expression of disbelief on their faces.

"Yeah! I don't know what this world has come to. It was just so weird," I shuddered thinking about it.

"So what did he invite you guys to?" Rosalie asked.

"Some guy, Dylan's party. I went to one of his parties before. Worst experience of my life. People were like completely drunk and acting… just, mad. Then some guy tried to put the moves on my girlfriend, so I punched him… Yeah, you're never going," Jace pointed directly at me and I blushed.

"Never said I wanted to. Britney got so high there that she went into cardiac arrest," I sighed in disappointment. So many people that I was good friends with strayed to the dark side as soon as high school hit. I was proud to say that I'd never once done drugs.

"Wow. Things are just so different nowadays," Edward muttered to himself. We all agreed on that.

"You two have surprisingly good morals for teenagers growing up in this day and age," Rosalie praised Jace and I, making me smile. We thanked her. I felt like a little kid being praised for getting in A in her report card. It was actually quite pleasant.

I adjusted myself so that my legs were folded on the loveseat that Edward and I were sharing. It had given me butterflies when he sat down next to me, and I couldn't help but smile at him. He gave me a smile back.

"So what do you guys wanna do to pass the time?" I asked. Everyone pondered for a moment before Jace said with a wicked glint in his eye, "We should watch some of Bella's videos." I looked at Jace like, "Do you want me to die of embarrassment?" before calmly replying, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're a terrible liar," Jace teased, making me frown.

Alice got hyped up, "What videos?"

I kept up the charade, "I don't know. Jace is obviously going crazy."

Alice repeated the question, this time to Jace.

"She got her first video camera when she was like ten, or something. So she started making videos, and then she started posting them to YouTube. In some, she starts speaking about a certain topic, like a rant, then in others…she sings," Jace smiled, going to my iMac and opening Safari.

"Don't. You. Dare," I spoke slowly, looking menacingly at Jace as he typed in my YouTube name "RingingBells".

The Cullens looked relatively curious and excited to see what my YouTube videos were about, while I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die a slow, painless death. I hadn't made a video since before my mom died, and I was so embarrassing when I was younger.

"I don't get what the big deal is. Videos are posted to YouTube so that people can watch them," Jace said with his dark eyebrows knitted together.

"Yeah. _Random_ people, who don't know me," I said, frustrated.

"You know I'm still gonna show them your videos, right?" Jace grinned, raising his eyebrows.

"I figured," I sighed, before putting my face in my hands. I felt waves of calm from Jasper, and smiled at him thankfully. Edward smiled reassuringly at me before saying, "I promise I won't laugh."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," I warned Edward, knowing that he was at least going to chuckle a little, if not full-on laugh his head off. He chuckled, making me smile at him.

Then, Jace decided on a video and clicked play. I heard the opening short theme song I made for all of my videos, before I started.

I heard my voice when I was about 13 or 14, and shifted my fingers down to that I could actually see the video. I was sitting in a chair so the camera only caught my top half- I was wearing a Juicy Couture long-sleeved orange shirt, and my hair was tied up in a high ponytail. I wasn't wearing any make-up. I didn't look much different, but I still had a bit of a baby face.

"_Okay, so today, I decided to do something different. This is actually my first live video. So no editing will be done like usual. Oh and, I'm gonna be answering whatever questions you guys post in the comments… so, shoot," I looked at the screen of the computer and smiled at the webcam shortly. _

_Then, I browsed through the comments and spoke up again, "Right, so first question: Justin Bieber or Cody Simpson?" I sighed, looking disappointed. _

"_Really? Do you guys not know me at all? I cannot believe this a real question. That's like asking me if I want a new pair of designer shoes, or a used sock. No. Justin Bieber… all the way." _

The Cullens laughed at my comparison, and I cracked a smile. I guess this wasn't so bad after all. The video continued on for a while, and I couldn't help but reminisce a little about how different I was two years ago. I was actually pretty hilarious, and the Cullens were laughing so much by the time the middle of the video came around. I was especially flattered that Edward seemed to like my video so much.

Then, I heard the door open in the video, and someone call out. I froze in my seat, suddenly remembering this video. Jace seemed to be shocked as well after realizing who the voice belonged to.

My mom waltzed into the room holding up two dresses: a black fitted dress with nice rhinestone beading at the top, and a red dress with a plunging neckline. She was wearing an outfit consisting of a pair of dress pants, with a purple silk blouse and black high heels. Renée looked elegant as always. She was young, about thirty-five years old. She had her hair cropped at her shoulders, and it was a dark brown similar to mine.

Her face was smiling and happy, so completely different to the last memory I had of her. Jace seemed too shocked to close the video, and he seemed to want to see her, so we just continued watching. The Cullens looked from me to the video, and realization dawned on their faces.

"_Okay, Bella. Which one do you think: this black one, or this red one," she held up both to her body, waiting on my response. _

_My face was red and I looked embarrassed beyond belief, "Mom, I'm kind of in the middle of something." _

_My mom looked from me to the computer and her mouth formed into a little 'o'. "Oh, are you making a video? I'm sorry, I feel so embarrassed," my mom asked, fixing her hair, and resting the dresses down. Typical her. I rolled my eyes and whined, "Mom." _

"_Do you want me to leave?" Renée asked, pouting at me. _

"_Kind of," I said honestly, still looking flustered. _

"_Okay, I promise, I will. I just want to quickly say something. Are there people watching?" my mom asked. _

_I nodded, sighing, so she walked up to the camera and sat on the arm of my chair, _

"_Okay, so all of you watching Bella's little video. I don't know if she's told you: she's 14, and this is the age that I want her to start thinking about dating," my mom made hand gestures, as I said, "Oh my God," sinking lower into the chair and covering my face with my hands. _

"_She's very shy, and I know that one or two of you would want to date her. So give her a call if you're between the ages of 13 to 15. Her number is-" I cut her off at that moment. "Mom, what are you doing? This isn't some dating site. Most of my viewers are girls my age," I looked absolutely mortified. _

_My mom peered at the computer screen looking at the comments, "No, that's not true. This lovely, young man who's 14 wants to give you a call." _

"_Mom, it's the internet. People lie about those things. Ugh. Can you just-" I made a hand gesture to the door. _

"_Aw, sweetie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. Okay, I'm leaving now," my mom got up before kissing my forehead and picking up the dresses. "I'd go with the black one, by the way," I said as my mom left. She smiled at me before thanking me, "I love you Bella." _

"_Love you too mom," I said as she exited the room. _

"_Oh my gosh. I can't even speak right now. I'm gonna go. This was fun, at the beginning. Okay bye, I'll make another video by next week or something," I waved frantically towards the camera before the video ended. _

I couldn't help but think how ironic it was that my mom had done the exact same thing that Ryan's mom had done to me. I guess I shouldn't have judged her so much, because she was probably just embarrassing without knowing it, and simply looking out for Ryan. Just like my mom was about me.

Emmett snorted, before everyone burst out laughing. Everyone except me, "It's not funny. That was so humiliating," that just made everyone laugh harder. I couldn't help but glance at Edward as he laughed. It made me smile that he was laughing because of me, even if it was for a completely embarrassing reason. His whole face lit up when he smiled, and his eyes twinkled.

Okay, I needed to stop with the secret gawking at Edward. He would catch me eventually, and I didn't want to have to explain why I was staring at his gorgeous self.

"I can't-believe-Mom-did that," Jace gasped out between breaths. When everyone calmed down, Jace said, "Gosh, I miss her." I smiled and agreed softly.

The Cullens looked apologetic. "I'm sorry about your mom," Edward told Jace and me. I appreciated his words, but I didn't want anyone to feel that way for talking about her.

"No, it's okay. Don't be. She wouldn't want us to get sad every time we talked about her. We just have to remember her for the happy, loving person she was," I smiled thinking about my mom. She really was something special.

Before I knew it, my thoughts were drifting back to two years ago, and I took a deep breath. I tried to push down the overwhelming feelings of anger, pain, and loss that came with thinking about the day she died. I hated the people who took her away from Jace and I, and I hated the fact that I didn't do anything that day… I couldn't do anything that day.

I shook my head, refusing to be depressed about it. I hadn't ever talked about her death with anyone, and I knew it wasn't healthy to keep things like that bottled up, but I didn't want to remember that day. I didn't want anyone's pity, and most of all, I didn't want to be weak.

"How about another video?" Jace suggested in order to bring the mood in the room up. I could tell Jasper was feeling stressed out with all of the depressing emotions circling in the room, mainly mine and Jace's, so I especially felt bad for him. It must suck being an empath.

We all agreed, except for me of course. "Isn't one enough? I mean, haven't you all gotten enough of me already?" I asked, waiting for them to agree with me.

Unfortunately, they all shook their heads, telling Jace to play another video. I pouted, leaning back on the loveseat. Edward chuckled at my discomfort, so I sent him a glare which immediately shut him up, making me laugh.

Then, I heard the strumming of a guitar, and my head snapped up to look at the screen. I gasped, along with everyone else in the room. I was twelve, and I was playing the opening chords to a song. I looked so young, and different. I had a childish smile on my face, and my hair was down. I was wearing light pink shirt and jeans.

"Oh my gosh, you were so adorable!" Rosalie cooed, while I put my face in my hands. Oh no. I remembered this video. Before I could tell Jace to shut it off, twelve year-old me started singing,

"_Just a flickering screen of scenery  
This weather's bringing it all back again.  
Great adventures, faces and condensation.  
I'm going outside and take it all in._

_You say too late to start, got your heart in a headlock,_  
_I don't believe any of it._  
_You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock,_  
_You know you're better than this._"

By this time, everyone's jaws had dropped. I was singing a cover of Imogen Heap's song 'Headlock'.

_"Wear a different pair, do something out of step_  
_Throw a stranger an unexpected smile...," I smiled then continued._

"_with big intention.  
Still posted at your station.  
Always on about the day it should have flown._

_You say too late to start, got your heart in a headlock, I don't believe any of it," I shook my head smiling, and strumming loudly now.  
_

"_You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock,  
You know you're better than this._

_Been walking, you've been hiding,_  
_And you look half dead half the time._  
_Monitoring you, like machines do,_  
_You've still got it, I'm just keeping an eye,"_

At this point in the song, I made these smooth runs with my voice, which made everyone's eyes widen in shock.

"_You know you're better than this_

_I'll make you start, got your heart in a headlock,_  
_I don't believe any of it._  
_You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock,_  
_You know you're better than this._

_Afraid to start, got your heart in a headlock,_  
_I don't believe any of it._  
_You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock,_  
_You know you're better than this."_

I ended the song, grinning widely. I actually looked pretty cute, before cutting the video off.

"Holy. Crap. How old were you when you sang this?" Emmett asked eyes wide, mouth agape.

"Twelve," I answered, feeling extremely self-conscious.

"That was amazing, Bella. I didn't know you could sing so beautifully. I mean, not that I expected you to have a bad voice… but, wow," Edward said, blinking at me. I bit my lip to keep from smiling like a crazy person at his compliment. My heart fluttered, knowing that he thought I sang 'beautifully'. Cue swoon.

"Yeah Bella. If that's how you sang when you were twelve, I wonder how you sing now," Alice turned to me shocked.

I blushed a deep crimson at their words, shrugging modestly. All of this attention was making me pleased, but uncomfortable at the same time. I didn't enjoy the spotlight too much.

Edward, picking up on my uneasiness suggested that we all get ready for the ball, since it was beginning in an hour. Everyone agreed waving goodbye and giving me quick compliments as they left, and I could tell that they were really happy that I shared my videos with them. They all thanked me and told me that they enjoyed my videos a lot, and that I should make more.

I could tell that it made them feel like if they were closer to me now.

It made me feel closer to them as well. I never let anyone besides Jace and my mom watch my videos. And that was only because they had both walked in on my filming once or twice. I was happy that the Cullens didn't hate my videos or think I was lame after watching them.

It just showed how much they really liked me and wanted to get to know me more. I honestly didn't mind sharing myself with them. After all, they had let me into their lives, sharing experiences and memories with me that were dear to their hearts. I felt guilty for not telling them about my mom, but I hadn't even told my own actual family.

I knew I would tell them eventually though. They were the sweetest friends I'd ever had, and they all seemed to really love spending time with me.

Jace had stayed behind and he smiled at me, "So when are you gonna tell him?"

I scrunched up my eyebrows, "What?" there was no way he could've been referring to what I was just thinking about.

"When are you gonna tell Edward that you like him?" Jace asked bluntly.

I exhaled, feeling worried. Okay, so he wasn't talking about telling the Cullens about mom's death, but this was something just as hard to tell.

"Is it _that_ obvious?" I knew Jace could read me like an open book, so I wasn't truly surprised that he realized I had feelings for Edward, but I was wondering if everyone else could see it too.

Jace chuckled, "Yeah, but don't worry... He likes you too, even though you don't realize it." Jace winked at the end.

"How do you know that?" I asked. There was no way that Edward could like me as well. It just wasn't possible for someone so perfect as him to like someone as plain as me.

"I see the way he stares at you sometimes. I used to look at Lainey like that," Jace smiled at the end, probably reminiscing when Lainey and him started dating.

"I know that you're scared that he doesn't feel the same way, but he does. Don't put it off for too long, because it's about time you get a good boyfriend," he gave me that last piece of advice, before hugging me goodbye and leaving my room.

I thought about it for a while. I guess there was a slight possibility that Edward reciprocated my feelings, but I really didn't want to get my hopes up. What if he liked Tanya? I mean, he had known her way longer than he knew me.

I sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**You guys need to look up Lennon and Maisy's cover of Headlock. How Lennon is singing is how I portray 12 year-old Bella singing :) you'll also see what I mean when I'm talking about the voice runs she does. **

**So, I promise, next chapter will be WAY better than this one. This was just a sort of introduction to all of the stuff that's going to go down next chapter. I'm sorry there's barely any romance between Bella and Edward, but I promise that'll change soon!**

**Some secrets will be spilled for sure… so excited to start writing it! **

**Anyways, please reviewwww :P love you guys!**

**Xoxo **

**LoveACullen **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to those who alerted/favorited :')  
**

**Thank you to: **_**ellaryne, ammsim7, xxlovethisxx, BabyA (Guest), Blue-Eyed-Mutant,**_** and **_**Lydiaa0x**_** for reviewing! :) Your reviews make me smile.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Bella

I was finally ready to walk downstairs into the large ballroom, but my inner procrastinator kicked in, making me stay back in my bedroom for a little bit longer. I fidgeted with my dress and sighed loudly. I was wondering what Edward would think about my attire tonight.

I was wearing a one-shoulder, royal blue, chiffon, Oscar De La Renta dress with a sweetheart neckline that hugged my curves and flowed to the ground. It was poofed out in elaborate but intricate, frills , adding a nice shape to it. My shoes were silver Fendi heels that were hidden beneath my dress.

I wasn't fond of heels that much, but I was forced to wear them for formal occasions like these. Heidi, the fashionista in the Volturi, would throw a fit if I slipped on a pair of comfy Converse. She made sure that I dressed appropriately for different occasions, so I had gotten the hang of properly dressing myself for each event.

For jewellery, I wore a diamond necklace with matching earrings. My hair was twisted, clipped up, and thrown to the side, wavy as usual. My long side bangs hang loose, somehow pulling the look together.

Makeup was simple enough- I dabbed on some silver smoky eyeshadow, with black eyeliner and mascara. I didn't bother with foundation, as I was lucky to be void of any imperfections on my face. Lastly, I applied a coat of red outlast lip stain, then took a deep breath, finishing. I was surprised with the outcome in the mirror. I hadn't ever dressed up this much, so it was a bit shocking to see someone who resembled a moviestar staring back at me.

I blinked, shaking my head, and deciding that it was time to go downstairs now. I paused at the large oak doors, hearing the sound of music lightly playing in the background, making sure that my hair was manageable before opening the doors slightly and walking in.

Several heads turned in my direction, before smiling and continuing their conversations. Some of the guys kept staring, which made me mentally roll my eyes. Had they no manners? Plus, it's not like I was interested in any of them. I hadn't spotted Edward as yet, but in my search I caught sight of Jace who was talking to the Denalis. He waved me over, smiling in his tailored black tux, before deciding to go across to talk to some of the other covens.

"Hi," I greeted Kate, Irina, Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar. They all looked beautiful, which was nothing new. They all smiled back, giving me greetings.

Despite the fact that Tanya seemed to be obsessed with Edward, she was still a really nice person and we got along relatively well. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied up in a bun, and she wore a black two-strap, satin dress that hugged her body. Her sisters went off to mingle with some of the guests, so Tanya and I were left alone.

"So Bella, have you seen any guys around here that you like?" Tanya asked, making light conversation and smiling at the end.

I giggled nervously, "Um I guess."

She quirked an eyebrow, amused, asking the question I was dreading to hear, "Oh, which one?" Tanya looked around, before I too scanned my eyes throughout the room, before resting on a pair of topaz ones in a corner of the room talking to Carlisle and Esme.

He felt my eyes on him and looked up, giving me a subtle once-over. Edward's jaw dropped slightly and I wondered if it was because of what I was wearing- I sure hoped so- before he covered it up smiling brightly at me. I smiled back, waving to Carlisle and Esme.

I turned back to Tanya who was looking from Edward to me, realization dawning on her face. I hadn't meant to make the fact that Edward was the one I liked _that _obvious, so I felt a little uneasy when she asked, "You like Edward?" Her voice dropped, and I nodded, cringing slightly, anticipating her reaction.

I could've lied to her and said I didn't, but she was a good person who didn't deserve that. Plus, I didn't want there to be beef between us if she found out from someone else.

Noticing my anxious expression, she rushed, "Bella, no. It's okay! I'm over him. It took me a couple decades, sure, but I realized that I'm just wasting time on him when I can be with someone who actually wants to be with me as well," Tanya turned in the direction of a blond-haired guy who appeared as if he had just jumped out of the cover of a GQ magazine. He winked at her, and she wiggled her fingers in his direction.

I was surprised, to say the least. So she didn't like Edward anymore?

I exhaled visibly, feeling slightly relieved but still needing to be reassured, "So you don't care? I really thought that you liked him…" My eyebrows creased, looking at Tanya, who sighed, "Bella, of course not. I hope you'll have more luck with him than me, though I wouldn't doubt that you will. You two are actually quite perfect for each other." She smiled softly at the end, continuing, "The reason I flirt with him so much is because I love making him uncomfortable, and it's just for fun. I honestly don't mean anything. I'm happy I'm over him."

I smiled at Tanya, thinking that she wasn't so bad after all, "You know, you're a really sweet person. I'm happy you found someone who likes you back." She grinned, looking once again in the direction of the blond, "Me too."

So, I had completely misinterpreted her reasoning behind flirting with Edward, and I felt a lot better having that cleared up. Although, I couldn't help but think that if he didn't like a gorgeous girl like Tanya, that there was no way he could possibly have feelings for me. My shoulders slumped slightly at that, and I took a deep breath.

I said goodbye to Tanya, before making my way over to Rosalie, Alice, and their respective husbands. The room was so crowded with vampires that it took me a while to find them and actually walk over to them.

Alice gasped, "Bella, oh my gosh. You look gorgeous!" I blushed, looking down at my dress. "Thank you, Alice. You look amazing, as well." It was true; she was wearing a form-fitting, silver, satin dress that had a black ribbon tied at the waist. It looked adorable on her petite figure. Her black heels gave her some height as well.

Rosalie looked striking in a silk, blood red, v-neck dress with rhinestone beading at the waist. It went all the way to the floor, just like mine.

Jasper and Emmett were both in similar tuxedos with different ties. They actually looked quite handsome, no surprise. They both said 'hello' to me, smiling broadly, attached to their other halves.

"So how are you guys enjoying the ball?" I asked.

Rosalie smiled, "I'm actually having a good time…but more people should be dancing," I looked around noticing that she was right. Most people were carrying on conversations with each other in corners of the room, not bothering to dance along to the music. Only a few couples were waltzing in the centre of the room.

"Maybe you just have to encourage them," I suggested. Emmett and Jasper got what I meant and were about to lead Rose and Alice to the centre of the dancefloor before Rosalie interrupted.

"Uh uh, you're coming with us," Rosalie stated. I widened my eyes, and protested, "No, I can't." I was quite amazing at running and fighting, but somehow, ballroom dancing just wasn't my forte. I always ended up looking as if I had two left feet.

It wasn't pretty.

Alice pouted, "Why not? C'mon please? Oh look, Edward's coming this way. Perfect. You two can dance together!"

Oh, dear Lord.

My cheeks flamed, "No, seriously. I_ cannot_ dance. At all."

Edward reached us and raised his eyebrows at the group of us, "What's going on?" Seeing him up close, I felt as if my knees were going weak. He was in a black tuxedo, with a white shirt underneath, and a silver and black tie. His shoes were shiny black Bally dress shoes.

His hair was in its usual bronze disarray, and I had to restrain myself from running my fingers through it. He, all in all, looked absolutely flawless.

"We're going to dance, since no one else is, but Bella doesn't wanna dance with you," Alice explained to Edward, whose face fell at her words.

My cheeks got even warmer, "I never said that! It's just that I'm a terrible dancer, and you'll be extremely embarrassed." I assured Edward who visibly relaxed.

"Bella, I'm sure you're not _that _bad," Edward looked down at me, grinning.

If only he knew...

"Believe me, I'm awful. You should go dance with someone else," I tried to convince him, but he wasn't going to take 'No' for an answer.

"Please, Bella? Trust me, it's all in the leading," Edward's eyes were pleading and just one look into them had me melting. I sighed. It wasn't fair when he dazzled me like that.

"Ugh. Fine. But please don't hate me if I make you look bad," I stared seriously at him.

His eyes softened and he smiled crookedly at me, "I could never hate you," Edward said, making my heart rate increase dramatically. I calmed myself down, slowing my racing heartbeat before Edward got worried that I was going to have a stroke. That would be embarrassing.

He held out his hand in invitation, "You look beautiful, by the way, Bella," he looked me up and down once again, making my cheeks redden, once again.

I'll admit, I was incredibly happy he thought I looked beautiful. That was kind of my goal tonight.

"Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself," I smiled, taking his outstretched hand, being 100% honest with him. He really did look gorgeous.

I felt an electric charge course through my veins as soon as our skin made contact with each other, and I looked at Edward noticing he wore a similar expression of confusion. We both shook it off, deciding it was just probably static, walking onto the dancefloor, and getting into position.

As soon as we found a good spot, one of Edward's hands rested lightly on my waist, while the other held one of my hands. I had to keep telling myself to breathe deeply before I got frazzled by the feel of his hand grasping mine. It was odd, but I felt like my hand fit perfectly in his; like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

My left hand automatically went to his shoulder, and he asked a single question, "Ready?"

I nodded slowly, and he smiled once more before starting to move in time with the music. His steps were simple, and I felt my feet moving in accordance with his. I was a little shocked- I never remembered ballroom dancing being this effortless.

He grinned, "See? Easy," making me smile and nod, "Yeah, guess I just needed a good partner." He smiled sweetly then, still gliding me to the music, and giving me one of those intense looks that had me questioning if he felt the same way about me. I hoped with every bone in my body that he did, but I decided that I would be nonchalant if he just wanted to be friends.

Before we knew it, more people were starting to dance, and I looked at Rosalie who grinned at me. I guess her plan had worked after all.

Edward and I continued to waltz, and I started to slowly realize how comfortable I felt around him. Like I didn't have to try to be witty or come up with a lame joke to make him smile. It was so natural.

The music ended after a few more twirls that Edward did to me-they were terrifying at first, but I got used to it after the second one. The clearing of a throat made everyone in the room look up.

Aro, my father, sat between Caius and Marcus, smiling down from a stage that held three thrones. They were all dressed in black robes with dark suits underneath. Caius' mate, Athenadora, stood beside him with a hand on his shoulder, while Uncle Marcus sat by himself, looking depressingly lonely. I hoped desperately that that wouldn't be me in a few centuries.

I was surprised to see Sulpicia standing beside my dad. She was a vampire he had met a few months ago when she came to the Volturi looking for a job. Jace and I noticed that they really hit it off, and Aro seemed to be less and less depressed about my mom the more time he spent with her. I was pleased that he was getting over my mom, but I never expected that to happen so soon. I was jealous that his pain had subsided, while mine was simply buried.

My dad spoke, "So first off, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming to this celebration. I haven't seen some of you in years and others in a few centuries. So, thank you." He bowed his head, and everyone smiled at him, nodding back.

My dad took a deep breath, a smile playing across his lips, "So most of you are wondering _why_ my brothers and I held this ball," the crowd stood still, waiting. My dad continued, standing up and taking Sulpicia's hand in his. My heart dropped to my stomach, suddenly figuring this whole thing out with that one action.

He wouldn't hold a big ball like this if it wasn't to celebrate something important.

"Well, my mate, Sulpicia and I have decided to get married. I'd like to invite each of you to our wedding, taking place on October 19th." It felt like a giant slap to the face, and I looked to Jace whose expression had darkened.

The entire ballroom exploded in cheers as Sulpicia and my father kissed. Jace and I were out of place, standing stock-still, emotionlessly looking on.

Jace looked to me, shaking his head in disappointment and shock. His lips moved and I used my vampire hearing to catch the words, "Going by Lainey. I don't want to make a scene." I nodded to him, showing that I understood.

I didn't know what to feel at that point. The most prominent emotion was hurt- that my dad didn't tell us of his plans even though we were his own children. He didn't bother to ask if we would be alright.

I also felt shock because I never expected him to do something so drastic just two years after his wife, my mom, died. I mean, I was still adjusting to seeing someone other than my mom with my dad. Now, she was going to be living here permanently, sharing my father's room with him.

She was going to be our step-mom. Don't get me wrong, there was no one better I could imagine my dad being with, but it was still hard.

My mom would've wanted him to be happy. _I_ wanted him to be happy, but I couldn't help but be a little angry at him. He was acting like nothing had happened to my mom.

The festivities continued, but I just didn't feel to be here with my dad and Sulpicia. I was feeling utterly mixed up about my emotions.

I let out a loud sigh, putting my hand over my forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

"Are you alright?" I jumped slightly, too wrapped up in my thoughts to realize that Edward was still standing next to me.

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. He seemed to always wonder about how I was, "Yeah, I guess. I'm just gonna go get some air." I turned to walk out until I heard his velvety voice ask unexpectedly, "Do you mind if I join you?" Why did he want to join me? Wouldn't he much prefer staying here with everyone else?

I decided to be a little selfish for once, shaking my head, "No, I'd like the company."

He smiled, walking with me out of the oak doors into the empty hallway. We walked for a little while longer until we reached the indoor greenhouse in the castle, and I turned, leading Edward in there. Beautiful plants of every color and scent surrounded us, and I sat on the wide bench in the middle of the room.

I sighed, "This was my mom's garden. She got bored a lot, having so much free time on her hands as a vampire, so she would get a new hobby every week. She was into gardening when she did all of this," I gestured to the room. "She was pretty eccentric," I smiled at the end.

"I always come here to think," I explained, looking up at Edward, who was looking at me, listening intently. I was always surprised when he showed such a great amount of interest in me.

"What about?" he questioned, looking around and taking in his surroundings. Vines covered most of the greenhouse, and there was a mini waterfall in a corner of the room. It was beautiful looking at all the different flowers.

"Everything," I said softly, feeling that speaking loudly in this peaceful place would be somewhat disrespectful.

"How do you feel about the engagement?" Edward asked, gauging my reaction.

My eyebrows creased together, "I'm not entirely sure. I mean, I'm happy he's found someone. Sulpicia's a really nice woman. It's just that, I feel like he's being pretty self-centered about the whole thing. That was the first time I even heard about his plans to marry her. My dad doesn't seem to care about how we feel about this whole thing. He didn't even ask if we would be okay with it. It's just been two years since Renée died, and he's already marrying someone else. It's just confusing for me. He's obviously gotten over my mom, but I'm not entirely over her being gone as yet. I don't know... Am I making sense?" I asked, looking at Edward who looked to be in deep thought.

"Of course you're making sense. You feel like you're dad's only thinking about himself right now. I understand what you're saying... Maybe you should tell him how you feel," Edward raised his eyebrows.

I shook my head, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear, "I don't know. It doesn't make sense to do that now, because I don't want him to cancel the wedding or anything. I just wish he could've told us... And you probably want me to shut up right now, don't you? Sorry for rambling," I looked up at Edward, apologizing.

He knit his eyebrows together, "No, I don't. I actually want to know how you're feeling right now."

"Why?" I asked. I didn't understand his interest in me. I was such a boring person.

"Because you're interesting... And I care about you," Edward's voice lowered at the end, making butterflies flutter inside of my stomach.

My thoughts once again wandered to whether he meant that in a friendly or romantic way. I sighed, growing tired of always wondering about his actions. I needed to find out, even if I got hurt in the process. I was prepared for him not returning my feelings.

"Why?" I whispered, determined to find out how he felt about me. He most likely just enjoyed having me as a friend, and I was okay with that, even if it hurt a little thinking about it. I just needed to know. I looked into his eyes which held more than one emotion. He was conflicted, and he raked his hands through his hair. An action I had deemed extremely attractive already.

He exhaled loudly, turning to look into my own eyes, that searching look reappearing. What was he looking for?

"Because I like you, Bella," my jaw dropped.

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**I decided to leave you guys at a little cliffhanger…don't you just hate those? :p haha but you guys can figure out what will happen next :) **

**That's not how I originally imagined Edward telling Bella, but I decided that I liked it this way. So excited to write the next chapter! Hopefully it'll be finished in two days, cause I hate making you all wait long :( **

**I absolutely love reading all of your reviews, so please send some ;)**

**Xoxo **

**LoveACullen**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to: **_**ellaryne, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, Twisted Musalih, chewybrownies7, **_**and**_** tinkerbear10**_** for reviewing :) **

**Oh and, I was reading a story the other day and realized that I agree with what the author said about how Bella having two shields-an inner and outer one- is kind of stupid, and pointless. **

**So Bella only has one shield in this story-the outer one. **

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Unfortunately._

Chapter 6

Bella

_Recap: _

_"Because you're interesting... And I care about you," Edward's voice lowered at the end, making butterflies flutter inside of my stomach._

_My thoughts once again wandered to whether he meant that in a friendly or romantic way. I sighed, growing tired of always wondering about his actions. I needed to find out, even if I got hurt in the process. I was prepared for him not returning my feelings._

_"Why?" I whispered, determined to find out how he felt about me. He most likely just enjoyed having me as a friend, and I was okay with that, even if it hurt a little thinking about it. I just needed to know. I looked into his eyes which held more than one emotion. He was conflicted, and he raked his hands through his hair. An action I had deemed extremely attractive already._

_He exhaled loudly, turning to look into my own eyes, that searching look reappearing. What was he looking for?_

_"Because I like you, Bella," my jaw dropped._

Say what? I was speechless. I had dreamt of this moment, but never in a million years did I anticipate it actually happening.

Edward spoke quickly, standing up and once again, running his fingers through his bronze hair, "I completely understand if you don't feel the same way. I mean that would make so much sense. You deserve someone so much better than me…. You know what? Just forget I said anything. I-ugh. I hope we can still be friends." He put his hands over his face and my heart broke seeing him looking so hopeless.

I stood up and walked up to him, gently prying his hands off his face. His expression was pained, and I smiled softly, hoping I could make it all better.

"But I don't wanna forget, Edward," I told him, honesty clear in my eyes, and still holding his hands in mine. I was in complete shock over the fact that he liked me, but I didn't want him to take it the wrong way. So I was going to have to, for once, be confident.

His expression slowly changed, and he looked a little…hopeful? "Why not?" he asked just as softly as I had spoken.

I smiled, intertwining my fingers in his, "…Because I like you too. There's no one else I'd rather be with, than you." The grin that appeared on his face after I said those words took my breath away. I grinned back just as wide, as he rested his forehead on mine. I swam in his topaz eyes, seeing different emotions flitting inside of them. Most of all, I could see happiness, and I hoped that he could see it in my eyes too.

His hands went to my waist, pulling me closer to him, while my hands were locked around his neck. Not once did we break eye contact.

He smiled, "I really, really like you." I felt his cool breath fan my face as he slowly closed the distance between us. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. Edward stopped when he was about an inch away from my lips, looking up into my eyes, silently asking permission. I simply smiled, moving my head closer.

That was all the confirmation he needed as my eyes fluttered closed and I felt his soft, smooth lips press against mine. You know in novels when the main character meets their soul mate and when they first kiss, fireworks mentally go off? I finally understood what that meant.

He tightened his hold on my waist as I tightened mine on his neck. I felt secure in his hold. Our lips moved in sync, slowly at first, then moving more eagerly after a while. I was sure my heart was going to jump out of my chest at any minute. It was racing due to the fact that I was becoming more and more aware that I was kissing Edward Cullen. Something I had only dreamt of doing.

Edward and I had kept our feelings bottled up so much that they were being let out in this one, amazing kiss. It felt…perfect, kissing him.

I had kissed one or two guys before, but it wasn't like this. Is this what it felt like getting high?

My hands moved to his hair, and I threaded my fingers through his bronze hair; it felt like silk, even better than I'd imagined. Edward smiled against my lips, making me smile as well. I honestly felt like this was all just one dream that I never wanted to wake up from.

We both pulled apart at the same time, realizing that I needed air. One of the reasons I hated the human side of me; I could still die from things like lack of oxygen. I took several deep breaths, while Edward chuckled, lightly brushing my pink cheeks with his knuckles. "Thank you," Edward smiled.

I giggled, "For what?" I was confused, to say the least.

"For allowing me to finally have the chance to kiss you," I blushed at his words, biting my lip softly.

"Well, I should actually be thanking you," I confessed, looking up into his eyes.

"For what?" he repeated my words, smiling cheekily.

"For finally kissing me," I grinned.

He laughed, music to my ears, before lightly pecking my lips once more. "Is it odd that I'm in shock at what's happening right now?" he asked, to which I shook my head, "Not at all. I feel the same way. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm _so _happy. I just, never thought you'd actually have feelings for me."

Edward gave me a disbelieving look, "What? Why wouldn't I?

He didn't give me any time to respond, continuing, "You're beautiful, smart, and funny. Ever since the day I laid eyes on you, I felt a pull towards you. And I've _never_ felt that way about anyone else. I didn't know what to do, because I'd never been in a situation like this."

I smiled at his words, "Me neither. I've never actually liked someone this much, or connected with anyone as much as I do with you. This is so new to me. And that kiss - that was magical." It was weird, but I didn't feel embarrassed saying my thoughts out loud, because I felt so incredibly comfortable around him.

Edward grinned at my words, "Good. So it wasn't just me?"

I giggled, reassuring him, "Definitely not."

Edward laced his fingers through mine, once again resting his forehead on mine. I smiled. We stayed in that position for a few minutes, until Edward broke the comfortable silence, "Bella?"

"Yeah?" I said, a bit dazed from staring into his eyes for so long.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Cue dumbfounded expression. My mouth opened and closed several times before Edward closed his eyes, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. Too soon," he shook his head.

"No, it's not that, at all. It's just-I'm in a little shock," I giggled. "I'd love to. But, I have to warn you, I have no idea what it's like to be in a relationship. So, you're gonna have to bear with me."

Edward chuckled, "Bella, you're forgetting that I've never had a girlfriend before, either… I think we'll be fine - no, scratch that. We'll be better than fine." He kissed my knuckles staring into my eyes from under his eyelashes. I felt myself getting dizzy.

"Stop doing that," I whispered, out of breath.

"What?" Edward asked worriedly, dropping my hand.

"Dazzling me," I answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm sorry, what?" Edward repeated, his eyebrows scrunching up, an adorable expression playing across his face.

I laughed, "You really don't know what you do to me sometimes. It's not bad… it's just really hot when you run your hands through hair, or do other stuff. You dazzle me. You know, make my knees go weak?"

My cheeks heated up after that little confession, and Edward simply grinned, pulling me closer to him, "Really? _I _dazzle _you_? How about the other way around? When you blush like that, it drives me crazy, and when you bite your lip, I find it extremely hard to think straight. You have no idea of the effect that you have on me."

"But let's pause for a second. You think I'm hot?" Edward asked, suddenly smiled cockily.

"Maybe," I smiled, shrugging casually.

"Well maybe I think you're hot too," Edward whispered.

He laughed, referring to my warm cheeks, "See? I wanna know so badly what you're thinking."

I looked down, an idea suddenly popping up in my head. I had been thinking about doing this for a while, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I shielded Edward and his eyes widened, looking at me, surprised. I was letting him hear my thoughts, "_I'm thinking that I have a really sweet boyfriend, who makes me feel really secure, more so than anyone else. I hope he'll always be there for me, because I like having someone who cares about me, and seems to like talking to me. I like him a lot. Everything he does makes my heart melt. He's also a really good kisser…" _I left the end handing, hoping that he'd get the hint. Edward didn't need to hear more.

His lips crashed onto mine in a millisecond, and I smiled against his lips, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. He hands went to my waist then moved down to my hips where they rested comfortably.

You'd think this would all be so awkward, seeing as we had just confessed our feelings less than five minutes ago. But, Edward and I weren't normal. This didn't feel weird. It just felt ordinary, like we'd been together forever. I didn't feel the need to go through that short dating phase, because I already felt like I knew so much about him.

We broke away, and Edward took my hand in his, squeezing it and asking gently, "Do you want to go back?"

I sighed, pondering his question. I didn't want to go back to reality, with everyone else. I just wanted to stay with Edward. He understood me. Plus, I didn't feel like going back to see my dad with all of the betrayal I felt just thinking about what he did.

"I don't think so. I'll just go up to my room or something. But you can go back. Please don't feel obligated to stay with me," I knew Edward, so I knew his first instinct would be to stay with me. I really didn't want to be one of those girlfriends who made their boyfriend stay with them at all times.

"I want to. Plus, the only time I was actually enjoying myself was when I was with you. I don't wanna go back. I wanna make sure you're alright," Edward assured me, squeezing my hand again.

"I'm fine, Edward. Really. I don't want to take you away from the ball. What about your family? They'll wonder where you are-" Edward cut me off, "Alice is there for a reason."

My eyes widened as I did a facepalm, "Oh my gosh. I completely forgot she sees the future. Your sister saw us kissing. Oh my. I'm sorry."

Edward chuckled, "She doesn't care, Bella. She's happy for me…Please don't be embarrassed."

I smiled at his care, "Okay…fine. If you say so."

We walked hand in hand up to my bedroom, planning on just watching a movie or something. We both just wanted to be together. No worries about anyone else. Just us.

Edward branched into his room to change into something more comfortable while I did the same. I didn't want to seem like I was trying to seduce him or anything. So instead of my usual pajamas: a tank top and short shorts, I settled on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

Edward walked in a few minutes later clad in a sweatshirt and a pair of track pants. I smiled as he gestured to himself, "Cute." I looked through my movie collection.

"Have you seen the Avengers before?" I asked, picking up the copy that I had just bought a week ago.

"Um, no. I never got around to seeing it," Edward confessed. My jaw dropped, "We have to watch it! It's… pretty life-changing."

Edward raised his eyebrows at me, chuckling at my exaggeration.

I corrected myself, "Okay, fine. It's not _life-changing _per se, but it's a really great movie." I popped it into the DVD player, settling myself on the couch Edward had sat down on. He wrapped his arm around me as I sat down, as I rested my head on his shoulder.

Again, this was so new to me. On the few dates I had gone on, the furthest a guy went with me was a short kiss and a hug. I never felt close enough to someone that I could be this casual around them without feeling awkward.

The movie was even better the second time, especially seeing it with Edward. He would give me light kisses on the forehead and cheek in between some scenes. It was all in all, the best movie-watching experience of my life.

We talked for what felt like minutes but ended up being hours about… well, everything. I'd never laughed so much in one day. Edward had told me a bunch of funny stories about life with his family, more specifically, Emmett. After a while, I felt myself yawn, and Edward glanced at the clock. It was 2 a.m. Being a half-human, half-vampire, I didn't need that much sleep. Just two hours a day would have me well-rested.

The thing is: I'd missed about three days of sleep with all the planning and sorting out of the ball-I liked to be involved with those things-so catching up with sleep was a priority. Edward looked back at me, and I nodded, not needing to hear it from him that I should get some rest.

"Goodnight, Bella. Sweet dreams," he smiled, before kissing me softly. He didn't deepen it, knowing that I really needed some sleep, so I settled for hugging him to make up for that. His arms wrapped around me, once again giving me that feeling of security. That nothing and no one could ever hurt me once I was in his arms.

"Goodnight, Edward." He kissed the top of my head, and I gave him one last peck on the lips before letting him go.

I switched off my lights, settling under the comfy duvet on my king-sized bed. I closed my eyes, missing the feeling of having Edward's arms around me. I sighed, feeling that this was so entirely surreal. I never thought that pain I felt after my mom died would ever leave me, but with Edward, it just felt like the pain was slowly slipping away. Not entirely gone, but not as prominent.

I knew I'd have to tell him about my mom eventually. Sooner than later, definitely. I knew he wasn't one to pry, but if I wanted this relationship-it gave me butterflies remembering that I was indeed Edward's girlfriend- to work, I'd have to be willing to share my deepest secrets with him.

Surprisingly, I was okay with that. With that thought, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber; for once in my life, feeling light and free. Like the weight of the world wasn't heavy on my shoulders. I liked this feeling, and I was determined to make it stay.

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**So this was a short one. But wasn't it cute? I just wanted this chapter to be all about Bella and Edward.**

**Still going through ideas for the next chapter, so it might take longer to write. But I promise, I won't make you guys wait too long. After all, your support has been incredible! Thank you :)**

**Leave a review or two ;)  
**

**xoxo  
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**LoveACullen  
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	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to: **_**Blue-Eyed-Mutant, PiperMcLean351, Sweetie7smiled, chewybrownies7, KATY123, Team TwiPotter Girl, ellaryne, LilBloodSucker3 (Guest) – who said that it was refreshing to have a story where Rosalie is nice… haha I think so too! - **_**and **_**MadiiLoves**_** for reviewing the last chapter :) **

**I decided to do this chapter in Edward's Point of View – thanks to **_**KATY123**_** for suggesting the idea ;) I'm a little rusty, so bear with me.  
**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**  
**_

Chapter 7

Edward

I sat in my room, sighing and running my fingers through my hair. I suddenly stopped, remembering how Bella had said that it was hot when I did stuff like that, a goofy grin playing across my lips. I sat on the couch, and took a deep breath.

Bella. Who knew I'd ever find someone as beautiful and caring as her? Never in my one hundred and eleven years of living did I want someone as much as Bella. She was everything I ever wanted in a mate. Yes, mate. I was certain with every fibre of my being that Bella was my mate.

I would do anything for her. I felt the overwhelming urge to make her smile; make her worries disappear.

I didn't want to be with anyone else. She was the only one I'd ever felt this way about.

I had been absolutely terrified to reveal my feelings to her, so sure that she would never in a million years feel the same way. It just didn't make sense that she would. Bella was an angel in my eyes, too perfect for me to deserve.

Yet, somehow, she liked me too, and I wasn't going to complain. I'd never been this happy in my existence. Bella made me smile with everything she did.

I was glad that I had told her that I liked her, because I was pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to control myself any longer from kissing her. She was undeniably gorgeous.

I couldn't put it into words how that kiss felt. It was better than I had ever imagined. Her warm, soft lips molded against mine, and when she ran her fingers through my hair, I lost all thoughts. I couldn't believe that she was so insecure. Her very presence made my dead heart palpitate. At the same time, I admired that about her, that she was so effortlessly beautiful and she didn't even realize it.

I passed my fingers over my face, knowing that my feelings were deepening at a quick rate.

Suddenly, my bedroom door flew open and Alice bounded in, jumping up and down before running to hug me. I was surprised, nonetheless.

"I am so happy for you two! I've been waiting so long for this to happen. Ugh, I mean, finally!" Alice rolled her eyes, a wide grin on her face. Jasper was standing in the doorway, looking amused.

"_Happy for you, man. It's time you found someone,"_ Jasper's thoughts me smile and I nodded towards him in thanks.

Rosalie and Emmett weren't too far behind, with Carlisle and Esme in tow. Obviously Alice had filled them in, so they all gave me congratulations, and I really appreciated their happiness for me. I knew they all secretly worried that I'd never find someone, though they tried to hide it in their thoughts. So they were all quite thrilled that Bella and I had gotten together.

"So where's Bells?" Emmett had become really close to Bella, like a second brother to her. Jace was really good friends with him as well, so he didn't mind sharing the 'big brother' title with Emmett.

"Sleeping, she's had a long few nights. I don't think she's really gotten any sleep for a while, so I thought it best to leave her to get some rest," I explained to my family who had sat down, surrounding me.

"So what happened? Why'd you guys run away from the ball?" Emmett cocked an eyebrow suspiciously, while I just rolled my eyes at him, and Esme playfully scolded him saying it was none of their business. She still looked quite curious herself though.

"After we left, we talked a little. She'd been feeling a little distressed about the whole announcement, so I just wanted to know if she was alright. Then… I don't know. She asked me why I was there, and I told her that I cared about her. But she plowed on, and then it all came spilling out.

"After, she didn't want to go back to the ball, but she was worried that she was taking me away from you all. I assured her that you guys wouldn't mind. So, we went to her room, watched a movie, talked some more, and I said goodnight. Now, here we are," I retold the story, leaving out the parts about Bella and I kissing, feeling it was too intimate to be shared.

"How do feel about her, Edward? Do you think that she could be your mate?" Carlisle asked cautiously, the fatherly side of him showing.

I smiled, "I really think so… I mean, when I think about the future, I only think about Bella being with me. No one else. There's never been anyone else.

"I'm falling for her…." I admitted my feelings, and I could only see knowing smiles around the room. They of all people knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Well, we all couldn't imagine someone better for you, darling. I can definitely see Bella becoming a part of this family," Esme said, beaming like a proud mother. Which she was.

"Thank you. All of you," I gestured to everyone in the room. "It means a lot," I finished.

We continued talking about me and Bella, and other family things, until everyone decided to get changed and go downstairs. I slipped on a Ralph Lauren black polo shirt with dark jeans and white Lacoste shoes. My hair was messy as usual. I had given up trying to tame it over the years.

The Denalis and other covens were leaving soon, so we all went to say our goodbyes.

I hugged Tanya goodbye, and she startled me by saying, "Don't let her go, Edward. You two were made for each other." I smiled, "I won't." I knew how hard it must've been for her to say that, what with her past feelings for me, so I was really grateful. I wondered how she had figured out that I liked Bella, but I guess news travelled quickly around vampires.

Before long, the covens had all gone and the castle was looking unnaturally empty, until Bella walked in, looking well-rested.

Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she wore a purple flowing tank top with a pair of white short shorts and flip flops.

"Hey," I whispered as soon as she looked up at me.

She grinned, "Hi." Noticing my family's eyes on her, she blushed, before addressing them. "What's up?" she asked, trying to act casual.

I could tell that she was nervous about my family's reactions towards her being with me, so without thinking about it, I took her hand in mine and pulled her close to me so that she was standing right next to me. She visibly relaxed, looking up at me, a heartwarming smile on her face.

"I just can't believe this," Emmett gestured to Bella and me. Bella tensed up and I narrowed my eyes at Emmett. Seeing my expression, he widened his eyes, "No, I mean. Not in a bad way. It's just-I've seen Edward mope around our house for so many years that it's weird to see him smiling so much."

Bella smiled, "Thanks Emmett." He grinned, shrugging his shoulders saying he was simply being honest.

He could be nice when he was ready, even though most of the time he was a giant clown. Rosalie, Alice and Esme all gave Bella lovable hugs thanking her for being the girl I finally had feelings for, and she grinned from ear to ear. I could tell that she had been worried that my family wouldn't approve of her, but she realized that she had no reason to worry. Everyone adored her.

We went into the kitchen shortly after hearing Bella's stomach grumble. I chuckled, while she playfully glared at me, sticking her tongue out. Just as she finished pouring her cereal out and started to dig in, we heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. We all looked up to see Felix walking in asking where Jace had gone.

"He hasn't come back yet? He left to go to Lainey's last night, during the ball," Bella's eyebrows creased together.

"Well I haven't seen him since-oh wait, speak of the devil," Felix replied, turning to see Bella's brother walking into the kitchen sneakily. His clothes were ruffled up, and his hair was a mess. He looked to be doing the walk of shame, and resembled a deer in headlights when he looked to see all of us staring at his disheveled self.

Bella snorted, "Your pants are unzipped." I saw Jace's face turn red for the first time, before he looked down and checked to see that his pants weren't unzipped, but actually zipped up.

His face brightened further, when Bella laughed, "Made you look."

Felix burst out laughing, trying to contain it when Jace glared, while the rest of us stifled our laughter. "So I guess you and your girlfriend did a little more than talking last night," Bella mused, biting her lip to keep from smiling. Again, I felt the overwhelming urge to kiss her.

Jace rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Bella. You're lucky you're a goody two shoes." He wasn't truly annoyed at Bella for calling him out on his actions, as I could see a smile playing across his lips.

Bella sighed, "I know right." I chuckled at their playful banter. It was quite entertaining.

Jace suddenly noticing me saw my arm around Bella's waist as she sat eating, and he raised his eyebrows. "When did this happen?" he gestured to Bella and I, and she choked on her food.

I patted her back softly, as she coughed, and she smiled up at me in thanks. "Last night," she smiled, and I smiled too remembering the night's events.

"Huh, so I guess I wasn't the only one who had a busy night," Jace smirked, to which Bella shrugged saying in a sing-song voice, "Guess not." We all laughed lightly as Jace shook his head.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Jace smiled before saying that he was going to take a shower and come back to meet up with us. Felix walked with him to talk to him about something important.

Since Jace was Bella's older brother, I was a litt

"So what are you guys planning on doing today?" Bella asked everyone around the table.

"We have absolutely no plans. This family is so boring," Alice muttered, to which Bella laughed. I smiled unintentionally at the sound. What was it about her that made me feel this way?

"Um… I was actually thinking of going to the movies to see 'The Dark Knight Rises', if you guys wanna come? I heard it's a really amazing movie…" Bella suggested to which everyone nodded. The boys, more vigorously than anyone else.

Carlisle and Esme stayed back to once again hang out with the adults, telling us to have fun. They really were like parents.

Jace was informed of our plans, but he decided to stay back to help Felix out with something which he told Bella not to worry about when she raised her eyebrows. She shrugged before leading us to the garage. My jaw dropped seeing about a hundred cars, mainly sports lined up in rows. She walked over the black Range Rover, which was a seven-seater, so we were all able to fit.

She turned to me, looking up. She was so much smaller than me, something that made me smile. "Do you wanna drive?" she asked, holding out her keys. I raised my eyebrows, making her explain, "I hate driving big cars."

I nodded in understanding, taking the keys, and opening the passenger door for her. She thanked me, looking shocked that I had opened her door. I was about to close the door, when she interrupted me.

"Wait," she took my hand, and I looked into her beautiful brown eyes, that held so much emotion, it made my dead heart skip a beat.

She pulled my face towards her, giving me a light peck on the lips making us both grin. She obviously wasn't comfortable doing anything more in front of my family, and I understood why. Emmett whistled, while the girls 'aww'ed and Jasper remained casual, simply smiling.

I chuckled, kissing Bella's forehead before closing her door and hopping into the driver's side. I shook my head… my girlfriend was adorable. As soon as Bella sat in the passenger seat and buckled up, I took her hand in mine, making her smile cheekily, blushing. I used the other hand to steer us to the cinema which Bella gave me directions to.

We carried on conversations throughout the car ride, and Bella explained to my family why she had left so abruptly the night before, even though she didn't have to. I guess I understood why though, she was really close to my family and didn't want to keep anything from them, something that made me really happy. I would've really disliked it if my family and the girl of my dreams didn't get along.

We parked the car, jumping out. Luckily there was just enough cloud cover that prevented us from exposing ourselves to hundreds of humans.

We all got our tickets, walking into the movie theatre. It was the middle of the day, so there was hardly anyone seated as most people were still at work. We got the perfect seats in the middle of the theatre, and soon enough it started to darken, a sign that the movie was starting. I casually slung my arm around Bella, who was sitting next to me. She ended up leaning her head on my shoulder, something that made me giddy.

I unconsciously twirled her soft, brown hair between my fingers during the movie, while she intertwined her fingers with my other hand. I couldn't help but think how casual we were about doing things like this; like we'd been doing it for years. It certainly felt like that, not a day.

At one point in the movie, when I was sure that everyone was too engrossed in the film, I kissed Bella's cheek, making her turn to look at me. Then, I took my chance and planted my lips onto hers, making her smile-probably at my randomness. Our lips moved in sync with each others, and it was only when we heard a loud cough from Rosalie that we pulled apart. Bella blushed, seeing my four siblings staring us down, feigning disapproval that we were blatantly disregarding the movie.

I chuckled, rolling my eyes and giving Bella one last kiss on the cheek before turning back to the movie. It was actually pretty remarkable-everything was extremely believable. I almost felt like I was actually there. You had to really understand the Batman series to get some of the conversations that went on, and luckily I had seen all of them-I had a lot of free time.

By the time we all got up, we heard a nasally voice call out, "Isabella Volturi?" Bella's head snapped up, and I felt her cringe against me. I tightened my hold against her, realizing that she clearly didn't like this person.

A girl with white blonde hair, and clear signs of plastic surgery, walked up to our group gasping, "Oh my gosh. I haven't seen you in, like, forever."

Bella smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, like she was forcing it, "Hi Leah."

"So how's Jace? Does he still have a girlfriend?" the girl, Leah, asked, cutting right to the chase. I mentally rolled my eyes, already understanding why Bella didn't like this person.

"Yup. Anyway, I've gotta go, tight schedule, you know? It was nice seeing you again," Bella said politely, making to leave. I followed, until Leah stopped her by her elbow. I felt myself tense at this girl's actions.

"When Jace eventually dumps that freakazoid, tell him to give me a call," Leah said, giving Bella a fake smile, which we returned, "I'll make sure to. In the meantime… why don't you go try to steal someone else's boyfriend?" Bella pushed past her, and my siblings and I followed wordlessly.

Leah stood there with her mouth agape, looking as if she's just gotten slapped.

When we reached into the confinements of the car, I turned to Bella, not wanting to push her but at the same time, wanting to know what that was all about.

"Leah gets a new boyfriend literally every week. And they're usually someone else's. Jace is the only guy she hasn't ever gotten to, so she would use me when we were younger. I mean, obviously, I wasn't stupid, so I saw through her act, and made it clear that I didn't like her. She hasn't ever gotten over that. Then a few years later, she got expelled for fighting with Lainey over Jace. I mean, physically fighting. So yeah, I tend to avoid her at all costs. More so now than ever, since I actually have a boyfriend," Bella explained the whole situation to me, making me nod.

Rosalie spoke her thoughts aloud, "Wow. What a slut." Bella giggled at that.

"Dude, I was trying so hard not to stare at her face. I mean, she looked like a blowfish," Emmett said, looking disgusted, making us all laugh.

My siblings started a conversation about how great the movie was, and what they thought was the best part, while I once again took Bella's hand in mine.

"I'm not going anywhere. Especially not with someone like her," I was referring to Bella's previous words.

"Really? I mean you two would be so amazing together. Blonde bimbo with a bronze-haired prince charming," Bella said sarcastically, laughing. She thought I was a prince charming? I held back the dorky smile.

"I prefer brunettes," I grinned at Bella, who smiled back.

The humor wiped off of Bella's face, and she asked seriously, "Do you really mean that? That you're not gonna leave me?"

I turned away from the road briefly, to say, "I'm never going to leave you, Bella. Whether you like it, or not… I'm here to stay," I smiled crookedly at the end, complete honestly filling my words, making her genuinely smile back at me.

The smile stayed on her face for the entire ride back and I couldn't help but smile along knowing that I was the reason for that heartwarming smile. I truly meant what I had said. I never wanted to leave Bella. She made me feel so alive, which is odd since I'm technically dead.

The fact that she was a little bit insecure that I would eventually leave her for someone else, made me determined to make her realize that I only had eyes for her.

She had my heart… I would do anything for her.

When we got back to the castle, I made sure to pull her petite frame into my body, and give her a long, chaste kiss. Our lips moved against each other impatiently, not having had a deep kiss like this since the night before.

My hands went to her smooth cheeks, and I ran my thumbs down them, making her smile against my lips- a feeling I loved. Her arms went around waist, pulling me closer. By the time we pulled apart, Bella was breathless, her cheeks tinged pink.

I chuckled lightly, staring into her deep, chocolate brown eyes and her into my own topaz ones.

Everyone gaped at us, while Bella bit her lip embarrassed at the attention. I simply grinned, knowing that I had made it abundantly clear to everyone that she was my girl. And I was fully her man.

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**So how was that chapter? Sorry I took so long to update… been busy!**

**:O btw did you all hear about Kristen Stewart cheating on Robert Pattinson?…. I almost had a heart attack. I just never imagined she'd do anything like that, especially to such a hot, amazing guy as Robert :( *sigh* oh well. **

******Anyway! Enough entertainment news :P please leave a review. I got SO many reviews last chapter, and they were all incredibly sweet. SO THANK YOU :D**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to:**_** Natasha8228, 1dreamkeeper, TwilightFreak19, LittleMissBeth96, chewybrownies7, **_**and**_** Blue-Eyed-Mutant **_**for reviewing last chapter.**

**Anyway, on with the story :P Back to Bella's Point of View for this one ;) **

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 8

Bella

After watching the movie, the Cullens and I hung out in Jace's room. This was only because it contained a foosball table, a ping pong table, and you know, every single video game known to man. The boys were naturally attracted to that sort of thing.

They were currently playing the FIFA Soccer video game, while Rosalie, Alice and I were chatting amongst ourselves about recent fashion trends. The girls had to basically force Edward and me apart, glaring at the both of us, saying that they wanted to do some 'girl talk' with me. Edward still looked reluctant, but complied when I told him I didn't mind.

Alice had branched away from the current subject of summer dresses, noticing that the boys were too wrapped up in the game to heed our conversation. Crossing her legs, and tapping her finger under chin, she asked, "So Bella, I know that you like Edward, and he definitely likes you back. But, where do you see this relationship going exactly?"

I smiled at Alice's protectiveness over her brother, and even Rosalie's, as her ears looked perked. They weren't being aggressive about it, and still had pleasant smiles on their faces, so I was grateful for that.

I wasn't offended at all by what they were doing, having known the drill-I used to do the same thing with Jace's past girlfriends.

I sighed, glancing at Edward to make sure that he wasn't paying attention. Thankfully, he was too busy calculating how he was going to score a goal against Jace.

How did I feel about Edward? As Alice said, I knew that I liked him. A lot. More than I had ever liked anyone in my entire life. But could my feelings-quite possibly-be deeper than that? I knew it would kill me if Edward ever decided to break up with me. I knew that I'd be just as broken as I was when my mom died.

I didn't want to rush things and scare him away, but I also knew that I couldn't live without him. It was funny, I had only known Edward for a few weeks, yet I felt like I could bare my soul to him. I felt closer to him than I did with my own family. I felt the need to always be with him. It was scary for me because I was usually a very independent person, yet when I was with him, all of my pride disappeared, and I only wanted to be with him.

I turned to Alice and Rosalie, "I-"

I cut myself off when Alice briefly got glassy-eyed, before grinning at me.

"You don't have to say it, because Edward might hear us. And I know you wouldn't want him to find out that way," as if on cue, Jace paused the game to switch players, and Edward took that time to grin at me. I smiled back.

"I just wanted to make sure you felt that way," she bounced in her seat, and Rosalie and I rolled our eyes at her.

Confusing, future-seeing, little pixie.

Apparently, she had gotten a vision of me explaining my feelings for Edward. Even though I hadn't gotten the chance to say them out loud, the fact that I was going to was good enough for her.

I sighed, _Only Alice. _

A loud knock on the door interrupted us, and Jace called out, "Come in." He didn't bother pausing the game. Edward briefly glanced at the door, but that short second was enough time for Jace to shoot at the temporarily unprotected goal and win the game. Edward frowned.

I shielded Edward for a few seconds, "_You definitely would've won if he didn't cheat. I still think you're extremely hot." _

Edward jumped in his seat from surprise at hearing my thoughts in his head-I giggled at that- before sending me his signature crooked grin that I adored.

Demetri opened the door, and looked towards me, "Your father would like to have a word with you."

I got up, before shrinking back a little, "Am I in trouble?" I wasn't afraid of my dad, but I absolutely hated being yelled at. So I just wanted to make sure.

The Cullens looked slightly worried at that thought-something that made me feel all warm inside, realizing that it was a sign that they cared for me.

Demetri laughed, before reassuring me, "No, I don't think so. He didn't look angry." I relaxed, along with the Cullens, exhaling before walking to the door. I turned back around to see Edward looking up at me.

I smiled, "I'll be back." He smiled back at me.

As soon as I closed the door, Demetri grinned at me, leading me to the throne room, "So what's going on between you and Cullen?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, "Is that what this is all about? Oh my gosh, please tell me my dad _isn't_ going to ask about that." Seeing as I'd never been in a relationship before, my dad hadn't ever felt the need to have a certain talk with me.

Not the really awkward, gross one that you might be thinking of-no, it wasn't anything like that. It was basically the same thing that Alice had done, except it was worse because this was my dad. And that was just…weird.

My dad and I had the usual father-daughter relationship, I guess. He loved me, I loved him. He did everything in his power to make sure I was safe… et cetera, et cetera. Then when it came to talking about certain things…relationships, for example, we weren't the most eager of people to open up to each other. Exhibit A: he didn't even bother to tell me of his plans to get remarried.

I was literally fine with talking about this topic with anyone but my dad, because I just felt embarrassed explaining my relationship status that to the person who helped create me.

Demetri laughed again, "Maybe." I narrowed my eyes at him, reaching the door to the throne room. I sighed; better get this over with, then_._

I turned the brass handle, stepping inside and closing the door behind me, hearing the sound echo in the vast room. The room was virtually empty except for my dad and uncles, and a few guards. As soon as I entered the room, however, Aro commanded them to leave.

Aro was perched on the elaborate, gold throne between his brothers' matching ones. All three of them smiled brightly at me, making me return a false, unenthusiastic one.

My dad's jet-black hair, similar to Jace's was slicked back, and his golden eyes bore into mine. Marcus' dark brown hair fell to his shoulders in curls, and his ever-present bored expression seemed to liven up at my presence. His blood-red eyes twinkled as if he knew some big secret that I didn't.

While my father had chosen my diet of animal blood-I hunted every month, as human food kept me going but didn't appease me completely-my uncles had chosen to stick to human blood. A much as they loved me, they couldn't stand the thought of feeding off of animals for the rest of eternity. The guards were the same.

Caius's blond hair fell to his shoulders like Marcus' and his always cheerful expression intensified at the sight of me. What can I say? I was a gem in their eyes.

"So Isabella, how was your night?" my dad preferred to call me by my full name, even though I detested it.

I smiled, "Fine. Yours?" I wasn't going to let him be the only one who played this game. If he wanted to know about me and Edward, he was going to have to outright ask me. Marcus and Caius caught onto my little charade, and grinned, showing their perfectly white teeth.

"Delightful, actually… However, I am aware that you left the ball early. Where'd you go? Jace informed me that he was not feeling well, but I've been wondering about _your _reasoning," my father clasped his long, white fingers together, resting his chin on them.

"I was in the castle, walking around," I shrugged, looking emotionless.

"I noticed that someone else went missing last night as well. Were you with a vampire?" my father raised his black eyebrows, his face almost as blank as mine.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. _No dad, I was with an elf who was taking me to see Santa Claus, _I thought. He was being ridiculous. There were _only_ vampires at that ball. Who else could I be with?

I scrunched up my eyebrows in thought, "I can't remember. Maybe it would jog my memory if you could tell me _who_ this vampire was?"

My father dropped the act, "Are you dating Edward Cullen?" I was surprised that he had actually asked me.

I looked to the floor briefly, taking a deep breath. I opened my mouth, about to answer, when he cut me off.

"I had to find out from Jane and Alec that you were… kissing him today. You didn't see it fit to tell your own father that you were with someone?" all of a sudden, I felt pissed off. Was he seriously accusing me of not telling him about mine and Edward's relationship? What. A. Hypocrite.

"It only happened last night. It's not like I kept some big secret from you for months. I would've told you, but you're always busy. Especially now, with the whole arrangement of your wedding and all," I blurted it all out, and my father's eyes widened, not expecting my words at all.

"Are you angry that I'm getting married?" Aro asked slowly and cautiously, as if talking to a mental patient that would attack him at any moment.

I put my hands in the air, frustrated, "No! I'm mad that you didn't tell me. Do you know how Jace and I felt after hearing you announce your engagement? Betrayed. Do you know why? Because we're your children! You didn't bother to ask if we would be okay with you getting married to Sulpicia. You didn't even _tell _us beforehand. We had to find out with everybody else. Do you know how that feels?"

I didn't mean to shout at him, but I was so frustrated with him and it was all coming out.

"Edward comforted me last night, while you were busy celebrating," I made a motion with my hand to signify 'celebrating'.

"I told you that you should've told them," Uncle Caius sighed, doing a facepalm at my dad's stupidity.

Aro was still sitting shell-shocked in his chair. Shaking out of his reverie, his eyes softened, "I'm sorry. I had no idea that you would feel this way. I'll postpone the wedding, or cancel-"

I cut him off, "No. I never said that I wanted you do that. I wholeheartedly approve of your choice of partner, I just- I felt hurt that you didn't tell me. I was avoiding talking to you because I still felt annoyed that you kept this from me-that's why I didn't tell you about Edward and I being together. I would have, under normal circumstances." I bit my lip, looking at my dad's reaction.

He nodded, "I know. I'm truly sorry that I didn't tell you or your brother about Sulpicia's and my decision. I forget sometimes that you two are only teenagers… you both act so mature for your age. I won't keep anything from you two, ever again. I promise. Will you forgive me, my daughter?"

I smiled slightly, "Of course, dad." He grinned for the first time since I walked into the room.

"You should probably apologize to Jace as well," I suggested to my father whose eyebrows creased together. "Right," Aro nodded, "I'll talk to him later."

I made to turn around, "We're not finished." I closed my eyes. I had kind of hoped that all of this would lead him away from the topic of Edward Cullen. Apparently not.

"Yes?" I looked up at him.

"So you and Edward? Are you serious?" Aro asked, his fatherly tone coming out.

I sighed, "We've only been dating for a day." Unfortunately, he wasn't satisfied with that answer, as he cocked an eyebrow at me.

I smiled softly, daydreaming about him running his long fingers through his messy bronze hair and his crooked smile that made my heart hammer in my chest. "I hope so. I really like him," I replied honestly, looking at my dad and gauging his reaction. He looked contemplative, but before he could say anything, Marcus said, that twinkle in his eye more prominent now, "Oh, I think it's more than that."

I paled, having forgotten that my uncle could see relationships between people, and he had probably already observed mine and Edward's. I wonder what he saw between us. I wondered if what I felt for Edward was reciprocated.

Aro looked alarmed, "What?" He looked at his brother's expression, then at mine.

Uncle Marcus sighed, "Don't worry brother. Their bond is still forming. But don't act as if you would mind Edward being Bella's mate." I stopped breathing. Say what?

It all clicked. Why I felt so drawn to him, and him to me. Why I was slowly, but surely, falling for him. Why I couldn't stand the thought of him ever leaving me.

My dad was frozen, "He's her _what_? Marcus, mate is a strong word to throw around like that."

"I know, Aro. But it's what I see," my uncle replied, calm and collected as ever, a small smile on his thin lips.

Caius, absorbing the conversation, grinned, "My little niece, Bella, has found her mate."

A slight blush crept up on my cheeks, and I looked away from the staring of my father and uncles.

"Can I please leave now?" all of this new information was making me dizzy, and I just wanted to go back to Edward…my mate. I smiled at the thought, still not entirely believing it.

My dad said a soft, "Yes," allowing me to turn around and walk towards the door. Just as I was turning the handle, my dad stopped me one last time, "I do approve, Isabella. Although, I would like to speak to Edward now, if you could call him?"

Oh, dear Lord.

I nodded, dread filling me. I really hoped Aro wouldn't scare him away.

* * *

Marcus (after Bella left the throne room)

I sighed, putting my hands to my face. "Brother, I know that you're worried. But you don't understand how incredibly strong Bella and Edward's bond is. It isn't even just a simple mating bond. They would endanger their lives for each other," I spoke the truth, explaining to Aro just what I saw betwen his daughter and Edward Cullen.

Aro wasn't convinced, "Are you sure?" I knew what was going through his mind, and I hesitated to tell him, "Aro, you and Renée were different. Your love was strong, yes, and I did see potential for a mating bond. But it never really was there. I just didn't want to tell you this after seeing how happy you were with her. I hoped it would grow from just care, and affection into the deep love that all mates share, but it never did."

My brother didn't look too pleased at my confession, but he wasn't upset either. He had known that Renée and him hadn't truly been mates, since the day he had met Sulpicia. He was worried that Edward would find someone he adored more than Bella, and leave her.

I reassured Aro, while Caius just looked amused at our conversation, like he always was.

"It's impossible for Edward to be attracted to anyone else than Bella. Once you find your mate, that's it... There's no one else. Your case was special, Aro. And as I'm saying, Renée was just a unique person. She never was your mate. Sulpicia is your mate. In your eyes, there could never be anyone you love more than Sulpicia. You have to understand that."

Aro sighed, but nodded nevertheless. I needed to explain that to him. Vampires only had one mate for life. I knew that for a fact. I closed my eyes, reminiscing the moments I shared with my one and only, Didyme.

Aro had been lucky. He assumed that Renée had been his mate, but the pain he felt when she died was nowhere near as gripping as it would've been if it was Sulpicia. The pain of losing Sulpicia would cripple him to be a hard shell. In other words, it would make him act like me.

* * *

Bella

I walked back into Jace's room to find Emmett, Jace and Edward playing video games while Alice was cuddled up next to Jasper, and Rosalie was reading another magazine, rolling her eyes at the game.

Edward paused the game upon my arrival, causing Emmett and Jace to burst out in profanities, and me to grin as he walked up to me. Jace turned off Edward's remote, shaking his head at the two of us, a smile playing across his lips, before continuing to battle against Emmett.

Edward snaked his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, making the first move this time by reaching up. Edward chuckled-I was certain I would never tire of the sound- before closing the distance between us.

He pulled me closer and closer to him, our lips moving together slowly, in perfect time with each other. I had missed the feel of his smooth, marble-like lips molding against mine. It was a sweet 'welcome back' kiss…before I decided to deepen in-completely forgetting about everything around the two of us. I ran my hands through his soft bronze hair, tugging him closer, while he sighed into my lips.

"Jazz, are you okay?" I heard Alice ask worriedly, making Edward and I pull away from each other to see what was wrong. Jasper's hands had balled up into fists and he looked like he was trying to control himself… from what, though?

Emmett and Jace paused the game looking to Jasper, as Rosalie closed her magazine.

"So much tension…between those two," Jasper gasped, nodding towards Edward and me. And then, I was blushing harder than I ever had in my entire life, while the room exploded with laughter and teasing.

Edward coughed, looking away, and I knew that if he was human, he would've been blushing as well.

"Walk with me?" I asked Edward, who looked grateful for an escape. I hadn't forgotten about my dad's request, so I was going to tell him about it. He took my hand in his, as I laced my fingers through his strong ones.

"Be safe, you two!" Jace called out after us, causing another round of laughter. I rolled my eyes, while Edward pulled me out of the room, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't holding mine.

"So um, how'd the talk with your dad go?" Edward asked, squeezing my hand. He knew I was feeling pretty awkward about that, so he was trying to ease me out of my embarrassment. I loved that about him; the fact that he always wanted me to feel comfortable.

I squeezed his hand back, smiling, "We actually ended up talking about last night."

Edward looked down at me, "Oh?"

I nodded, "Yeah. I told him how I felt about the whole engagement thing, and he apologized. You were right…talking it out with him made me feel a lot better."

Edward smiled, looking genuinely happy that I'd resolved things with my father, "That's good to hear."

I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, realizing that I had to tell him about my dad wanting to speak to him, "Um, the subject of you also came up. And um, Aro wants to speak to you..." I looked nervously up at Edward, who had tensed, "Now?"

I nodded, biting my lip. Edward ran his hand through his messy bronze hair, making it even messier, "Alright." We were almost to the doors of the throne room.

I assured him, "He's just probably going to ask a few questions. You know, the basics. He said that he already approves, so don't take him too seriously." We had reached, and Edward and I were standing face to face with each other.

Edward grinned at me, "I understand, Bella… You're cute when you worry." He stroked my cheek, making me blush. He planted his lips firmly onto mine, giving me a short but sweet kiss, before taking a deep breath.

I couldn't help but stare at him a little. His chiseled features were God-like.

First off, his pronounced jawline gave male models a run for their money.

When he was frustrated, I noticed that he clenched his jaw while pinching the bridge of his nose. It was something that made any girl want to swoon. His angular nose was perfectly sculpted, and his butterscotch eyes were always intense, like he was reading into my soul. His hair was the cherry on top. Always in a disarray, but he managed to pull it off. It was a beautiful auburn color that suited him perfectly. He was pale, like most vampires, but he didn't need a tan to look incredibly hot.

He was taller than me; so much so, that I always had to slightly look up at him. Edward's shirts were always relatively loose, but there were brief moments when he tensed and you could see his biceps and pecs bulging out. I could easily tell that he also had a six-pack. All in all, he was absolutely gorgeous, and it made me sigh with happiness knowing that he was mine.

Edward chuckled at my staring, running his hands through his hair, "What?"

I broke out of my reverie, my cheeks tinting, while I squeaked out, "Nothing." I stared down at my shoes, but he wasn't having that. He used his index finger to gently tilt my chin up so that I had to choice but to melt into his eyes.

"Why were you staring at me?" Edward whispered, his sweet breath making me lightheaded. He knew that he was dazzling me. Unfortunately, I didn't have the will to fight it.

"Because you're really handsome, and I like looking at you," I said in a trance. I was only broken out of it when Edward started laughing. I frowned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh," Edward smiled, still chuckling lightly. I folded my arms across my chest, looking away from him, "Are you done?" I wasn't being serious, not completely anyway, and I resisted the urge to smile when his laughing ceased.

"Bella, I wasn't laughing at you. I just, can't believe you think that of me. I'm flattered, really. And if it helps, I happen to think that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life," Edward put his hands on my waist, and I couldn't stop the smug smile that crept on my face.

"Thank you," I smiled, kissing Edward one last time, before gently pushing him, "Now go, before they get annoyed at your tardiness."

"Yes, ma'am," I rolled my eyes, grinning at his salute.

He opened the door, and closed it behind him softly, but not before sending a crooked grin. I grinned back, before turning and sitting on one of the stone benches nearby. I sighed, putting my face in my head. I really hoped they weren't too hard on him. I mean, it wasn't like he was marrying me or anything. We were just dating.

Well technically, since we were...mates-still hadn't gotten used to saying that-it kind of was like we were getting married. I prayed that they wouldn't bring up the whole 'mate' subject. Edward probably didn't have deep feelings for me as yet. Or maybe he wouldn't ever have deep feelings for me. Could mating be one-sided in some cases? I slapped my palm to my forehead, shaking my head. I was going crazy.

I needed to stop overthinking things. I took a deep breath, waiting patiently for Edward to walk out and reassure me that he still liked me, even after being terrorized by my family.

I sure hoped he would.

* * *

**That's not a cliffy. It's just Bella being all insecure. Ugh, nothing new there. She's pretty exhausting, isn't she? Lol.**

**This was my longest chapter, and it was quite tough writing the conversation between Aro and Bella, but I really wanted to develop their relationship, so I needed to put it in somehow.**

**There was barely any romance between Edward and Bella in this chapter, so I'm terribly sorry about that! :( I was thinking of doing an Edward's Point of View next chapter, showing what's going on in the throne room. What do you guys think? **

**Leave me a review saying if you loved/hated this chapter. I love all reviews :D and I'm so thankful for the people who review every chapter. It means so much :') **

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**LoveACullen**


	9. Chapter 9

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**Okayyyy, so everyone suggested that I do this chapter in Edward's Point of View :D so here goes nothing! It continues from where we left off in the last chapter. **

* * *

****_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.  
_

Chapter 9

Edward

After shutting the door lightly behind me, I turned around to face the 'Kings' of the vampire world-as they were known. I took a deep breath, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

I wasn't nervous per se, because I had known Aro, Caius, and Marcus from the early days when I was with Carlisle. However, I realized that it didn't matter if they had liked me before, because if they didn't like my answers to their questions now, they may not think I was good enough for Bella. I definitely wasn't. She deserved someone so much better for her.

Yet, being the selfish person I was, I wasn't willing to let her go so easily. Although, I wanted to avoid getting a bad reputation with the Volturi, so I was hoping that Aro liked me enough to let me continue to see his beautiful daughter.

They all wore blank expressions on their faces, except for Marcus whose face looked calculating, before he nodded as if he'd just confirmed something. He always had that depressed, lonely vibe going on with him, but I didn't blame him. After all, his wife, Didyme, had been murdered in cold blood a few centuries ago.

I would possibly be worse off than him if I ever lost Bella… Just thinking about it made my dead heart crumble into tiny pieces.

"Good Afternoon Aro, Caius, Marcus," I nodded to each of the leaders, deciding to address them to dissipate the awkward tension rising up in the empty room. They were rather intimidating in their tall, sophisticated chairs set on top of a higher platform at the far end of the room. The platform was about a stair high, and the three thrones seating Aro, Caius, and Marcus, were the only things atop it.

They all nodded back to me, and I attempted to read their thoughts but was blocked. Just like I was with Bella's mind. I came to the conclusion that there was another mental shield. I had heard that there was-Renata was her name, I believe. I was frustrated that I couldn't figure out what they were thinking of me.

This just made the whole experience that much more nerve-wracking.

Aro seemed to be staring straight through me, examining my every move. Caius and Marcus seemed to be doing the same - picking apart my actions - however they weren't being as threatening with it.

"So Edward, I haven't seen you in what, thirty years, maybe? How have you been?" Aro was always the conversational type. He would beat around the bush before jumping straight to his point.

"Recently, I've been great, thank you," more like fantastic, but I didn't want to say that out loud.

Aro's eyebrows rose as he took on a surprised expression, while his brothers tried to hide their smirks, "Oh? And why is that?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, "I've become close to your daughter, sir." I added the formality at the end, because even though we'd known each other, I still had to treat him like every boyfriend should treat their girlfriend's father: with respect.

Aro inhaled, then exhaled, saying, "I've noticed. Tell me, what are your feelings towards Isabella?"

I debated mentally how I should phrase my answer. I didn't want to seem like I just wanted her along for a short ride, but I also didn't want to seem like a stalker who didn't want to ever leave her side. Which was sort of true… but still.

"I like her a lot," deciding that my answer wasn't enough for them, I continued, "I would do anything for her."

Aro nodded stiffly, leaning his chin on his interlaced fingers. "I see," Aro said. His black eyebrows creased together, thinking over my answer.

I stood stock-still, waiting for another question, which never came. Instead Aro started, "I know that a lot of vampires would like to use my children to get to me. In good ways and bad. However, I also know that you are not that kind of person, Edward. Am I wrong?"

I shook my head 'no', allowing Aro to continue, "So, I'm left to believe that you actually do have deep feelings for my daughter." I breathed a short sigh of relief, which was short-lived.

"I would like some proof, though." He beckoned me forward, and straightaway I knew what he wanted to do.

Marcus and Caius smiled at my uneasy expression, getting amusement off of my discomfort. I held back my glare, striding forward.

Aro took my hand in his, and his eyes slid shut. His power was to see and hear every thought a person ever had, once he came into physical contact with them. His facial expression was peaceful, but towards the end, he tensed up. He had probably reached my thoughts to Bella. He had definitely heard my thoughts about what I felt when I kissed her.

That wasn't exactly something your girlfriend's father should know, but I couldn't really complain.

Aro dropped my hand, staring wide-eyed at me. Marcus still looked cool and collected, however, I saw a flash of worry float across Caius' face for a brief second – probably wondering what his brother had seen.

I didn't fully understand why Aro seemed so panicked.

"What is it, brother?" Caius voiced his concern, raising his blonde eyebrows. I wanted to find out as well.

Aro still stared at me, before blinking a few times – coming back to reality – and speaking up, "You truly care for my daughter, don't you?"

I nodded, speaking with such conviction that even Marcus' eyes enlargened, "She's the only one I ever want to be with. Nothing else matters to me, than making her happy."

The room went silent, as if a bomb had just gone off. Minutes passed before Aro cleared his throat.

"Well then. It seems that Marcus was right… You are mates," Aro said the last part in almost a whisper. I inhaled sharply. I had firmly believed that Bella and I were mates, but hearing the confirmation that Marcus saw the mating bond between us, made me one hundred times happier and more confident.

"I hadn't trusted that it was true…until I read your thoughts. You adore her, and I've never seen such purity…such affection, in anyone's thoughts for their partner. As much as I have doubts about Isabella getting into a relationship, I've never seen her take a liking to someone as quickly, and deeply, as you. I have faith in you, Edward. Don't let me down," Aro ended with a subtle threat. I was grateful for his approval, feeling immense joy at the fact that Bella and I were officially allowed to be with each other.

My family already approved of, and even accepted Bella into the family, and now her family had agreed to let me be with her. My mate. The word sent shivers down my spine, but in a pleasurable way. It felt right to say it: Bella was my mate.

I looked up at Aro, nodding appreciatively, "Thank you, Aro. I know that you're a large part of Bella's life, so it means a lot to me. I promise that I won't let you down. The last thing I would ever do is intentionally hurt Bella."

Aro, Caius, and Marcus all smiled softly.

"I think that covers everything. You are welcome to leave. I'm sure Bella wants reassurance right now," Aro's smile widened. I grinned crookedly, nodding my head, "Thank you again."

They let me go, and I felt a rush of air whoosh out of me as I opened the door and saw Bella sitting on a nearby bench. I felt that way every time I saw her - like I had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. Not that I needed air to survive, but it was a high every time I saw her beautiful smile.

Her face lit up when she saw my grin, taking it as a sign that everything went well. I nodded simply, before she raced up to me and I engulfed her in a bear hug. Feeling her small, but strong arms wrapped tightly around me made me feel like life couldn't get any better. All I wanted was her.

I hugged her back just as tightly, burying my nose in her wavy hair and inhaling deeply. Her scent was a mix between strawberries and freesias, definitely my favorite smell. She giggled before pulling away, a light blush forming on her cheeks. I brushed them lightly with my fingertips, feeling as her lips upturned into a heartbreakingly beautiful smile.

Smiling once more, she looked deeply into my golden irises while I melted in her chocolate-brown ones. Slowly, I felt my surroundings slip away, like they always did when I was with this gorgeous angel. Then, before I knew it, Bella was reaching up on her tip-toes, and I was leaning down, meeting her lips halfway.

We were locked in a tight embrace in mere seconds. My arms wrapped around her tiny waist, pulling her closer to me, as her arms went around my neck in their usual position. I pulled away, watching her cherry red lips form into a pout. I chuckled softly, planting three more short pecks on her lips, making her smile.

Apparently satisfying her with my actions, Bella took my hand leading me upstairs to her bedroom. I closed the door behind me as she led me to her couch. I couldn't help but let my eyes wander over her frame. Her dark brown hair hung in waves, reaching about mid-back while her eyes were thoughtful - most likely thinking of something to do.

Her cute nose, which brushed against mine when we kissed, fit her perfectly. Her cheeks tinted red instantly when she was embarrassed or flattered, while her plump, red lips were always inviting. She had a petite, curvy figure that made any guy want to faint after seeing it. When I held her body in mine, I felt a rush of adrenaline, knowing that she was mine to hold. I couldn't help but notice how comfortable, and…right it felt to hold her against me.

Then there were her legs. I always had to keep myself from staring at her legs, relatively long, and always soft and smooth. At least that's how I imagined them to be. I didn't outright touch her legs, or else she'd be severely creeped out.

Bella stopped walking realizing I had stopped. She looked up at me with an adorable expression filled with curiosity, "What?"

Uh oh. Caught in action.

I chuckled nervously, stammering, "Nothing, I was just, um, you're so beautiful."

She blushed, chewing on her bottom lip, before giggling, "Thank you."

Then, she pulled me onto the couch with her.

We had both decided that we just wanted to be alone with each other, without the presence of my family and her brother- and their incessant teasing.

I ended up lying along the couch, with Bella positioned on top of me. Her back was against my chest, while my arms were wrapped around her torso. She readjusted herself in my arms so that she could look up at me. Then, she did something that made me smile – she started tracing my facial features, one by one.

She started off with my eyes first, tracing the dark circles beneath them caused from the lack of sleep you have as a vampire. I shut my eyes, basking in the feel of her soft, light fingers tracing my face.

Then she proceeded to brush her fingertips along my nose, my jaw…my lips. I opened my eyes realizing that she had stopped, and saw her smiling up at me. I smiled back.

We didn't need words to ruin this perfect moment. This was how it should be…easy.

We didn't need to voice how we felt about each other, because we already knew. I kissed her forehead lightly, watching as her eyes fluttered closed. Then I kissed her nose, making her smile. I grinned, brushing my lips across her cheekbones before coming down to her lips.

As soon as our lips made contact with each other, Bella put one of her hands on my neck, her thumb caressing my cheek. Her other hand found its way to my hair, and she entangled her fingers into the bronze disarray. My arms tightened around her thin waist, making her smile, and me smile in turn.

Our lips moved gently and slowly against each other, savoring the peaceful moment we were sharing. I felt Bella sigh contentedly against my lips, before we pulled apart.

She rested her head against my chest, and I used one of my hands to brush away the hair from her face. I swept my fingers along her face, feeling as she relaxed against me.

Without really thinking about it, I trailed my fingers along her neck, but I froze after my fingers made contact with something: a long, jagged scar, usually hidden by her hair. It ran from just below her jaw, all the way to her collarbone. It was definitely from a deep cut. Bella tensed up too, realizing what I had just touched.

I took deep breaths to control my anger, realizing that she couldn't have possibly done this to herself.

Rage boiled up inside me, thinking about a person hurting my Bella. The monster in me was threatening to come out to rip the person who did this to her into shreds.

I tried to keep my voice controlled, "Bella, who did this to you?"

* * *

**I know, I know. Cliffies suck :( **

**So this was a really short chapter, and I'm terribly sorry that I made you wait so long for it! :| but some beans are going to be spilt next chapter, I promise. **

**Don't you guys just love when Edward gets all pissed and overprotective? I know I do :P **

**I kind of just went with the flow for this chapter. No ideas… just wrote.**

**But anyways, hopefully Chapter 10 – can you believe it'll be ten chapters already? - will be longer. It might take me just as long to write though, because I have a lot of thinking to do for it. **

**Anyways, I absolutely love getting reviews from you guys. You don't know how happy I get when I see my inbox full of alerts. I LOVE YOU, and thank you for supporting my story :) **

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	10. Chapter 10

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**Okie dokie, onto Chapter 10 then :D continuing with Edward's Point of View for this one.**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 10

Edward

_Recap: _

_Without really thinking about it, I trailed my fingers along her neck, but I froze after my fingers made contact with something: a long scar, usually hidden by her hair. It was definitely from a deep cut. Bella tensed up too, realizing what I had just touched. _

_I took deep breaths to control my anger, realizing that she couldn't have possibly done this to herself. Rage boiled up inside me, thinking about a person hurting my Bella. The monster in me was threatening to come out to rip the person who did this to her into shreds. _

_I tried to keep my voice controlled, "Bella, who did this to you?" _

I felt her cringe against me, before getting off the couch, moving as far away from me as she could.

Ouch. I tried to hide the hurt I felt at her actions.

She ran her fingers along the scar on her pale neck. "What, this?" she looked flustered, gesturing to her scar, and trying to act nonchalant.

I got up, stalking in front of her slowly, still trying to restrain myself from punching a wall. "Yes," I said, staring at the wound, feeling pain that Bella had endured that cut, and fury at the person inflicted this pain onto her.

She sighed, looking at her shoes, before looking up at me. I noticed that she wasn't making eye-contact. "Oh, um. It was an accident. Totally unintentional," Bella nodded at the end, biting her lip. I exhaled, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to calm myself down.

"Bella, how stupid do you think I am?" I sighed, muttering it more to myself than anything. She flinched at my words, making me immediately soften. I mentally smacked myself on the head, regretting I had let those words slip from my mouth. I was letting anger control me, and I wasn't even angry at Bella; I could never be. I was enraged at the demon who did this to her.

Bella's eyebrows creased and she was looking away from me, as I saw tears welling up in her eyes. I ran my fingers through my hair, mentally cursing myself.

"I'm sorry... I really didn't mean to-" she cut me off, looking up and blinking away her tears, "No, it's not that at all… I'm sorry I'm not being open with you, Edward."

I sighed deeply, gently grasping her hands in mine, "I just want to know who hurt you, Bella. It's killing me to know that someone would do something like this to you."

Bella met my eyes finally, and I was smoldered by her emotions: fear, indecision… but most of all, pain.

"Edward, I get hurt like this all the time. I fight vampires and werewolves every other week. Please don't worry about me," she almost begged me at the end. I sighed, shaking my head.

"I can't, Bella. Don't you get it? I need to know that the person who did this to you, can't ever do it again," my tone was imploring. I didn't want to push her, but at the same time, I needed to know.

"You and I both know that this wasn't done by just another vampire or werewolf. You wouldn't be acting so defensive…or scared. Who would possibly hurt you like this?" I tried again, asking gently, looking deep into her beautiful brown eyes. I was overwhelmed by the amount of sorrow I saw filling them.

I guess I had hit a soft spot in my attempt to weasel the answer out of Bella.

Tears welled up in her eyes, as she tried to quickly wipe them away. I shut my eyes tightly, once again feeling like the ultimate jerk. I should've just dropped the subject. Instead, I had made my girlfriend cry.

Someone punch me.

I lightly brushed away the silent tears falling down her cheeks, making her look up at me gratefully.

Bella wrapped her arms around me, leaning her head on my chest. I returned the gesture surprised that she wasn't mad at me. I certainly was pissed at myself. I had just promised her father that I wouldn't make her sad, then BAM! Look what I do.

I lightly stroked her back, about to apologize profusely for forcing her to tell me something she clearly didn't want to. Instead, she spoke up.

"I want to tell you what happened," she croaked, her voice breaking… along with my heart. It hurt me seeing her so vulnerable.

I remained silent, waiting for her to continue, "but I can't. Not yet. I haven't even explained to my family what happened. I know that you're different. I know that telling you will make me feel so much better, but I just… can't. "

I kissed her head feeling myself relax, if only a little, at her explanation, "I'll be here for you when you're ready. I'm sorry for acting so insensitive." I was being completely honest. I wanted to beat the crap out of the person who sliced her neck, but at the same time, I couldn't compel her to tell me. I knew that she would do it on her own time.

For now, the best thing I could do for Bella was hold her.

"No, I'm sorry for not being able to tell you. Edward you were far from insensitive, and I understand why you were so desperate to find out… I love the fact that you care about me so much. You're not the reason I'm crying, so please don't beat yourself up. I wish I could tell you why. I really do," my heart warmed at her words. It was like she had read my mind or something.

That's what I loved about our relationship. We knew each other so well that we could tell whenever something was bothering the other. Like we were soul mates – which we were.

I squeezed her body tightly, moving her hair away from her neck.

Then I surprised both myself and Bella by leaning down and softly brushing my lips along her scar. She gasped at the area I had kissed, making me smile a little, but it came out pained.

"I wish I could take it all away. Your sadness, your hurt, everything," I whispered as Bella pulled away from our locked position.

"You are, just by being here. Being you," she said just as softly. Her eyed looked pink and slightly puffy from the crying, but she still looked sincere. I sighed, smiling softly, trailing my fingers beneath her eyelids. She smiled back.

I would be there for Bella, no matter what. She needed me, as much as I needed her.

I realized with a pang that I had to leave her in a week's time and go back to Forks with my family. Summer was coming to an end, and as much as my family loved it here, we had to get back to our lives in Forks.

I would visit her whenever I missed her too much and calling wasn't enough. Life would be duller than usual without seeing her radiant self.

For now, I was going to enjoy as much time as I had with Bella. Because I was starting to realize that my feelings for her were deeper than I'd originally thought.

* * *

A few days had passed since the incident, and Bella and I had become closer to each other than ever - weird as that may be. It hadn't been awkward bouncing back from our talk, even though I originally thought it would.

I still wanted to know who hurt her like that, but I tried to be supportive about her privacy.

We were currently cuddling with each other on the loveseat in her bedroom, as Jace popped in '21 Jump Street' into her DVD player. My family had coupled off as well: Alice was leaning comfortably on top of Jasper as they sat on the white sofa, while Emmett has his head in Rosalie's lap as she played with his dark, curly hair.

Jace hopped into the recliner and rested comfortably as the opening scenes to the movie started. From the time we all saw Jonah Hill walk out of the school bus with 'The Real Slim Shady' by Eminem playing in the background, we started shaking with laughter.

It was a hilarious movie, and I appreciated the fact that it was a comedy which had a plot that made sense.

At the point of the movie when Ice Cube started yelling at Jonah Hill telling him to stop bothering Korean Jesus with his problems, Bella had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.

It was, all in all, one of the best comedies I'd seen in a while and it made my heart swell every time I heard Bella's tinkling laugh.

I was happy that she was happy, cheesy as it sounded.

* * *

After the movie, everyone decided to just lounge around, talking.

Bella was tracing my facial features once again, as my eyes had closed shut. I smiled when she stopped at my lips, realizing what she wanted to do. She grinned showing her straight, white teeth as I leaned down. Bella twisted in my grasp so that her lips could meet mine halfway.

Then, once again, we zoned out of our surroundings, forgetting that our families were still in the room. I gripped Bella's waist pulling her body closer to mine, as her hands found their way around my neck. I sighed against her soft lips, basking in the feel of them moving gently against my cold ones. I was about to deepen the kiss further when we were brought back to reality by a loud cough.

"Edward, man. I like you and all, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't play tonsil hockey with my sister in front of me," Jace joked seeing our frazzled expressions.

Bella blushed furiously, before rolling her eyes at Jace. I still had my arms wrapped around her waist, but we shifted so that she sitting between my legs. "Please. You're acting like I haven't seen you make-out with your girlfriend before. It's quite disturbing," Bella said, making me chuckle lightly. She turned around giving me a small smile.

Jace made a face mimicking Bella, "_It's quite disturbing…_Oh! Thanks for reminding me. Lainey's birthday is coming up. Suggestions?" He looked around the room at all the girls who were grinning.

Alice spoke up first, "Diamond earrings." Jace contemplated her idea for a while, nodding, before turning to Rosalie.

"Shoes. We love shoes," Rosalie smiled, making Alice and Bella laugh, agreeing.

Finally, Jace turned to Bella, raising his black eyebrows. His grey-blue eyes were curious to see what Bella would say.

"Tom Daley," Bella said seriously before giggling, referring to the male diver on the Great Britain Olympic team. Rosalie and Alice gushed, "Oh my gosh. That's an awesome idea." "I would love that."

The girls didn't give us boys any time to interject as they jumpstarted a conversation on Tom Daley, with Rosalie speaking first, "He's so freaking hot. Honestly, he's the only reason I actually watch the Olympics."

Bella agreed, "I know, me too. Oh, and of course Ryan Lochte." Alice and Rosalie nodded, sighing, "Yes, obviously."

"But back to Tom Daley for a second. I was watching one of his competitions the other day. Oh. My. Gosh. Those Speedos he was wearing were the tiniest things in life," Alice sighed dreamily, along with Bella and Rosalie.

"Heavenly," Bella sighed putting her chin on her hands. I tensed up, and a low growl escaped my lips. Bella was the only one that heard, and she laughed.

"Jealous, are we?" she spoke softly so that I was the only one that heard.

I wanted to reply with a clever remark, but instead stayed silent. Partially because I realized that I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous, and partially because I couldn't think of a quick remark.

Bella smirked, winking as I sighed, shaking my head.

I just couldn't believe she was so crazy about the diver.

I know, I know. It was utterly stupid of me-because they didn't even know each other for crying out loud- but still, I couldn't help but feel a bit envious of _Tom Daley_. (Even saying his name made me roll my eyes.) I secretly wanted to be the one she was acting so fanatical about. I just didn't understand what girls saw in him.

Jasper and Emmett were just shaking their heads, used to their wives acting this way. I tried to act cool about this like them, but I couldn't prevent the little green monster from crawling out and rearing its ugly head.

I wanted Bella to only want me, like I just wanted her.

I sighed, leaning my chin on her shoulder. I seriously was falling hard for her.

Jace cleared his throat, "As _riveting _as this conversation is, I still want more ideas on what to get Lainey. Preferably something that doesn't make her leave me for someone else."

Bella smiled, giggling, "Well you could've just said so in the first place! Um, I'd say a necklace - with a really cool pendant…like something sentimental to you both." Jace's eyebrows shot up.

"Huh, that's a pretty good idea, actually," Jace pursed his lips, nodding. "Okay, well I actually have to go to soccer practice soon. Then I'm gonna meet up with Lainey. I'll see you guys later," we all said goodbye to him.

"Tell Lainey we said 'hi!'" Alice called after Jace, who chuckled, "Will do!" We had gone to the mall a few days ago and finally met the famous Lainey.

She was quite pretty, but nowhere near as beautiful as Bella. She had dirty blond hair and stormy grey eyes. She was tall and slender, and Jace and her looked to be the perfect couple standing next to each other. They contrasted each other nicely. She was kind and smart, while he was goofy and witty.

I wondered what people thought of Bella and me when they saw us. The guys probably wondered how I had gotten so lucky to be with a gorgeous, wonderful girl like Bella.

I sure did.

My family soon left to do their usual couple deeds - cue shudder - while I stayed with Bella resting on my chest.

"Edward?" Bella asked, playing with my fingers.

"Hmm?" I hummed as she looked up. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead sighed, shaking her head.

"Nothing," she went back to twiddling with my fingers. I pulled my hand away from her, using my index finger to force her to look up at me.

"Yes Bella?" I gave her my full attention, smiling slightly at the end.

She smiled, shaking her head, "It's stupid, and embarrassing."

I chuckled, "I promise I won't laugh, love." I could've sworn I heard her heart thump irregularly when I finished my sentence. I grinned. I had gotten around to using that nickname on her, realizing it made her blush.

Bella sighed, turning her body so that we were face to face and chest to chest. She folded her arms on my chest, looking into my eyes for a few seconds before biting her already pink lips softly.

Bella inhaled, "Can you promise me that you'll never leave me?" If my heart could beat, it would've been accelerating at her words.

I grinned, "I promise that I will never leave you, Bella. No matter what. I lo-like you a lot, and I really care about you." I had almost let the 'L' word slip, but thankfully I'd covered it up, making it sound like a stutter.

I was afraid to tell Bella how much my feelings for her had deepened. I didn't know if she felt the same way, and I didn't want to pour my heart out to her, only for it to be slightly crushed.

It was frustrating and scary the night that I'd admitted that I liked her… I couldn't imagine how nervous I'd be when I told her that I loved her.

Yes…love.

I was in love with Isabelle Marie Volturi.

I knew I couldn't hold it in for much longer, and I decided that I would definitely tell her before I went back to Forks. I needed her to know that I'd do anything for her, because she was my life.

* * *

**AWWWWW :D lol. So this was a really interesting chapter to write. Mostly because I didn't know what I was even writing… it just all kind of spilled out. The first part of this chapter was a little out of my comfort zone, so please don't be too harsh if you didn't like it :s **

**To clear something up: NO, Bella's mom did not abuse her. I do see how it can be perceived that way, but no, Renée was a sweet mother to Bella. **

**I was going to explain the whole story in this chapter.. how she got that scar etc. but I wanted to leave it for later. I thought it was too soon for Bella to reveal her deep, dark secret :O **

**I don't have a Beta, and I'm always too lazy to read over my work. So, please don't be shy to tell me if I spelled something wrong… or if something doesn't make sense. **

**I love your reviews, and I feel thrilled every time I receive a new one. So feel free to leave some more ;)Tom Daley will also love you a lot if you write me your feedback...so ;D  
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**LoveACullen **


	11. Chapter 11

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**Anyway! Onto the next chapter :) enjoy! It's going back to Bella's Point of View for this one, as much I love writing out Edward's thoughts. **

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 11

Bella

I took a good look at myself in the mirror, coming out relatively proud with the product. Edward was taking me out on a date – cue excited dance – so I was just getting myself dressed and ready. He hadn't specified whether it would be casual or formal, so I decided to go with an outfit in between.

I donned a strapless light pink, A-line dress, which reached just above my knees - along with a pair of black wedged heels. Edward hadn't given me the luxury of knowing where we were going; I believe his words were, "It's a surprise." He clearly hadn't realized how much I disliked surprises.

Therefore, I was left to question whether I should bring a cardigan or not. I decided 'yes' just in case it got windy or cold. It was a short cardigan, only reaching up to above my waist.

My make-up was simple as usual: just a bit of mascara and black eyeliner, along with a dab of metallic pink eyeshadow. Lastly, I applied cheery red lip stain to my lips giving them an appealing look.

Lastly, I brought a small, simple, silver Gucci purse with me so that I could carry my cell phone and other necessities. It pulled my entire look together.

I decided to tie my hair up in a high ponytail, and was more than ready when Edward knocked on my door.

I opened it, taking in his form appreciatively. His eyes were a vibrant butterscotch colour that I had to restrain myself from swimming in, while his mouth was pulled up into his renowned crooked grin. He wore a black shirt on with a pair of navy blue jeans and tan-colored shoes. I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that my outfit looked appropriate next to his.

The first thing Edward did was pull me by my waist towards him, our noses touching, making me grin unconsciously. He had to bend his head down slightly, because even in heels, he was still towering over me. "You look breathtaking," Edward whispered softly, giving me a once-over.

I felt my cheeks warm up. No matter how many compliments I received from him, Edward never failed to make me blush.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, brushing my lips against his, before sharply pulling away, smirking at his frown, "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." I was lying of course: Edward never looked short of amazing. He could wear a large paper bag over him and he would still be the most handsome guy I'd ever laid eyes on.

Edward still had a frown on his face, making me giggle. "Ready?" I asked him, slipping my hand in his. I heard Edward mumble a soft, "No, not yet."

Then suddenly his lips were on mine, and like always, our emotions poured out: expressing what we didn't need to say. Our lips moved eagerly against each other as Edward wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. But there was something different about this kiss. Edward was nervous about something, I could tell.

I drew back, "What's wrong?" Edward wasn't surprised that I had noticed his sudden change in demeanor. We were really observant when it came to each other.

He sighed, shaking his head, "It's nothing, really." I was unconvinced, raising my eyebrows at him.

Edward smiled, "You care too much about me." I laughed.

"Well if I didn't, I'd be a horrible girlfriend, wouldn't I? But don't try to change the subject," I said, wagging my finger out at him, a playful yet serious expression on my face. I wanted to know what was wrong, and if it was something I did that caused this. There was a large possibility that it was.

I wondered what I could've done to make him feel uncomfortable. Maybe he had come to his senses and realized that I wasn't the girl for him, and he was finding a way to let me down easy. I mentally groaned. I hated being so insecure.

He was taking me out on a date for crying out loud. Why would he break up with me on a date? I mean, that's just sick, and very unlike Edward.

I'm pretty sure that if it was anyone else, I wouldn't have noticed that anything was wrong, but being with Edward constantly over the past few weeks had made me notice when something was bothering him.

The little things said everything: his eyes looked conflicted as if he was debating something in his head. He balled up his fists from time to time, unballing them right after.

Edward stared at me intensely, reading my eyes like he was hoping to see something there. I was momentarily lost in his topaz gems before he spoke up, "I promise I'll tell you... Just not right now."

I stared at him for a little longer, before nodding, accepting that answer, "Alright."

His hand gripped mine as he led me to one of the many Aston Martins owned by the Volturi. Being a gentleman as always, he opened the passenger door for me, before using vampire speed to get into his seat. We drove out of the castle through an underground parking lot, and rose up onto the busy streets of Volterra.

Except we weren't going towards the city like I expected, but rather on the coastal side of Italy. I was itching to ask him where he was taking me. It's not that I didn't trust him: because I did, wholeheartedly. It's just that surprises always made me feel unsettled.

You see, ever since my seventh birthday, I've despised surprises. My mom and dad had surprised Jace and I with a circus themed party complete with elephants, trapezes, and most importantly… clowns. I was absolutely terrified of clowns, especially the mimes. I just got beyond creeped out by the fact that they didn't speak, at all.

So yes, back to my story. There were clowns everywhere, and I started freaking out when one came up to me and mimed being trapped in a box. I started hyperventilating because I actually felt like I was being trapped in a box, and I felt so humiliated because all of my friends were there and they were looking on. My parents hadn't known that I was so terrified of clowns, and they weren't the most understanding of people. They didn't get my phobia. Neither did I, but it didn't make the experience any less traumatizing.

And so, ever since then, I've just been really weary of surprises.

I mentally rolled my eyes at my thoughts. How could I even imagine that Edward's surprise would be anything short of wonderful? It was just impossible for Edward to disappoint me.

With that calming thought, my worries slowly ebbed away. The classical music playing in the car also soothed me, along with Edward's hand on mine. He rubbed soothing circles on my palm with his thumb. We settled into a comfortable silence in the car.

He had brought along one of his Debussy CDs, and from the moment 'Clair De Lune' came on, I froze. Memories of my parents gliding to this song consumed me: I remembered the way my mom's feet moved gracefully along the floor, my father guiding her. I had begged them to dance for me and once they did, I had sat there staring in awe, wishing that I could be so elegant.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the car halted to a stop, and Edward looked at me worriedly. I guess I had spaced out for a while. I just shook my head, smiling at his thoughtfulness.

It was only then that I realized where our destination was as I took in our surroundings: a pier, loaded with docked boats. "Are you gonna take me sailing?" I questioned lightly, curiously, and making Edward chuckle.

"I guess you can say so," he spoke mysteriously, making me roll my eyes at his vagueness. Edward got out of the car and opened my door using human speed to avoid the questioning looks from the nearby humans.

It was overcast today. Edward had probably gotten the okay from Alice that he'd be able to take me out today – it had been sunny for the entire week.

He put an arm around my waist, gently leading me to the dock, before going off to speak to one of the guys in charge. I watched as the guy, Stan (as his nametag said), nodded to Edward, before pointing right.

Edward thanked him, walking back over to me. I didn't bother asking questions, realizing that they would be answered soon enough.

We continued along the pier, before coming to stop in front of a white yacht. My jaw dropped, and Edward, seeing my expression, clarified, "It's just a rental, don't worry." If possible, that made my mouth gape open even more.

"You rented this just for our date?" never had I ever been taken out to such an extravagant date. Then again, this was Edward Cullen. I felt touched that he was going to such lengths to make a gesture to me.

"Yes," Edward answered, looking like it was no big deal. _Sure, I mean it's completely normal to rent a yacht for the day just for a date. Yeah, people do that all the time, _I thought sarcastically.

"Thank you," I smiled, making Edward grin, "Bella, it's a date. You don't have to thank me."

I blushed.

* * *

Shortly after, Edward helped me up onto the boat. Then, he untied the rope and quickly jumped on, himself.

The engine roared to life as Edward proceeded to steer us out into the crystal blue sea. It was midday, so even though it was overcast, it was still light out and the sea looked really pretty.

I took in all of my surroundings, from the horizon to the mountains surrounding the bay and the shrinking city behind us.

Just when we were considerably far out into the sea, Edward cut off the engine and dropped the anchor into the water. He came to sit next to me by the stern. "Edward, this is beautiful," I smiled, looking to him.

I continued, looking around me, "You know it's weird, I've lived in Volterra all my life, and I've never once been out here," I spoke.

It was peaceful being away from everything, just the two of us. Edward looked surprised, but pleased at the same time. I guess he wanted to do something special for our date. This certainly was.

"Why not?" he looked curious, an adorable expression on his handsome face.

His hand was on mine, as I explained, "My mom, as I told you, was really adventurous. She'd take Jace and I out all the time, to sightsee, and visit different places, do different hobbies. When she died, I just didn't bother doing any more of this stuff. I forget why, though. It's pretty amazing out here."

I smiled to Edward as he nodded in understanding, "I know. I'd been thinking about where I would take you out, and then this popped into my head. I'm glad you like it."

I leaned my head on his shoulder, enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat as it moved with the waves.

I pondered asking Edward something, wondering if it would be too prying. I decided to just do it, "What were your parents like?"

As expected, I felt Edward tense under me slightly. I apologized, "Sorry, forget I said anything. You don't have to tell me." I understood if he didn't want to talk about them. I mean they had died a painful death, and going into that part of your memories was always emotionally difficult.

Edward squeezed my hand, shaking his head, "No, it's fine. Um, well my dad, Edward Senior, was a lawyer in Chicago. He was always busy with his career, but I didn't hate him for it - he worked to provide for my mother and me. I wasn't that close to him, but I loved him and he loved me. He died in the first wave of the Spanish Influenza epidemic.

He took a deep breath, before continuing, "My mom, Elizabeth, filled the gap in my life that was empty because of my father's absence due to his line of work. She was loving, kind, and I was basically her entire world. She did everything in her power to please me, and care for me. When she was dying of the Influenza, she put my life over hers. She didn't mind dying, but it destroyed her knowing that I was dying as well. So she begged Carlisle to save me… and that's how I ended up becoming a vampire."

I exhaled, taking that all in. Elizabeth seemed like a lovely person, so similar to my own mom. Renée always put mine and Jace's safety over hers.

I sighed, the guilt rising up in me once again. Edward had shared this painful memory with me, and yet I was being so selfish with my own.

I had to tell him before he left to go back to Forks, just not tonight. I didn't want to ruin this perfect date by crying my eyes out.

"I'm sorry about your parents, Edward. They seemed pleasant, especially your mother," I said melting in Edward's topaz eyes. I could see the sadness he felt reliving the past, and I felt awful about bringing it up.

"Don't be sorry," Edward said softly, staring right back into my eyes.

My eyebrows crinkled together, "What?"

Edward chuckled at my confused expression, "Don't be sorry that you asked me. I'm happy I told you about them." It was times like these when I wondered if I had accidentally shielded him. He always seemed to understand me, more than even I did sometimes.

"Do you ever wish that you did die? I mean, do you regret becoming a vampire?" I wondered aloud. I clasped my lips tightly together. What was wrong with me? Did I have no censor? Edward was probably getting annoyed at my questioning.

I still wanted to know his answer though, because the truth is, I used to wish I had died along with my mom for a while. Right after she passed, I didn't see the point of living. I didn't think anything would make me happy anymore, but I realized that Renée wouldn't have wanted me to do anything stupid because of her. So I picked myself up out of my depression, and got on with my life.

Then when Edward came into the picture, things just seemed a million times clearer and brighter. He was my sun. I didn't know how to explain what it was, but he made things so much better. I forgot about everything when I was with him.

Edward looked down at his shoes, his eyebrows meshing together as he was in deep thought.

"I used to wish I had died with them, yes. All the time. I thought Carlisle had turned me into a monster, and I thought that death would've been a much better option than being a vampire. But that feeling drifted away after a while. Yes, my family had been taken away from me, but I got a new family, whom I love just as dearly. I'm grateful my mom asked Carlisle to save me. Now, more so than ever," Edward looked up at me, a twinkle in his eyes, and I felt my heart race ever so slightly.

"Why?" I asked softly, feeling like this conversation was something fragile. Speaking loudly would be somewhat rude.

I felt like I already knew the answer to my question, but I still wanted to hear it from him.

"Because I met you," Edward said, smiling sweetly and lacing his fingers through mine. He kissed my hand softly, the feel of his cold lips lingering.

I felt my heart soar at his words, because the feeling was mutual.

The distracted look reappeared on his face and he closed his eyes for a few seconds before taking a deep breath, "Bella, I need to tell you something." He looked a bit stiff, posture-wise, leading me to believe that he was pretty worried to tell me what he was going to.

I cringed ever so slightly, my insecurities coming back, "Good or bad?"

Edward relaxed slightly, seeing my frightened expression, "Good, I hope."

I bit my lip, feeling a little relieved with his answer, "Then go ahead. Please don't be nervous to tell me. I promise I won't freak out." I soothed him, squeezing his hand in mine, and giving him a light peck on the lips.

Edward sighed, smiling, "Thank you." I smiled back.

He took another deep breath preparing himself, "Bella, over the past few weeks, I've become closer to you than I've ever been with anyone, aside from my family. I care about you, and I feel protective of you. Nothing matters more to be than your happiness. At first, I thought what I was feeling for you was just a mild crush, but my feelings have deepened completely past that in just a few days. I don't just want you anymore… I _need _you."

I exhaled deeply, feeling so many emotions course through me: surprise, confusion, but most importantly, pure and utter joy.

Edward continued, looking directly at me, "I was scared when I realized this - mostly because I've never felt this way about anyone else before. I didn't know _why _I felt this way. Until I started pondering everything over in my mind. And then it hit me…

He stopped short, briefly losing his confidence. I smiled encouragingly at him, as he smiled back.

He sighed before looking deeply into my eyes. A feeling I couldn't place was showing most prominently in his butterscotch eyes. I wondered what it was.

Edward breathed, "What I'm trying to get at… is that: I love you, Bella."

I wanted to say something, but I just couldn't get the words out. I was stunned, speechless. My mouth opened, but I just ended up mumbling something along the lines of, "Mm, uh. Um."

Then before Edward could take my silence the wrong way, I crashed my lips onto his. Actions speak louder than words, right?

Edward was frozen at first, probably baffled by my sudden urge to kiss him. Then his lips moved fiercely and eagerly with mine. I locked my arms tightly around his neck, wanting to explain to him with my actions that he didn't need to worry. Because I felt the same way about him.

His arms snaked around my waist, pulling me so close to him that I ended up on his lap. He did something completely out of my range of experience, and licked my bottom lip asking for entrance. Without hesitation, I permitted him to explore my mouth.

Our tongues tangled with each other, dancing in each other mouths. I smiled, making him smile.

I hadn't given my feelings towards Edward much thought. I knew that we were mates. I knew that I couldn't ever live without him, and that I wanted no one else to kiss me like this.

But I realized that loving him only made sense. The constant crave I had for him when he wasn't there suddenly wasn't bewildering. All of these puzzle pieces swiftly came together to form one single picture.

All of these unanswered questions finally came to the one answer that fit: I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.

I pulled away, gasping for air, "I love you too, Edward."

The largest smile formed on his mouth, making me grin along with him. This all felt right. I no longer felt frazzled with my confusing emotions, because I knew _why _I felt them.

I leaned my forehead on Edward's, making his smile grow, if that was even possible. I swam in his topaz orbs endlessly, realizing that the emotion I was seeing earlier on was love.

Edward exhaled, "This is real, right? I'm not dreaming?"

I giggled at his questions, smiling, "Yes, this is real… You're not dreaming."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, 'cause I would've been pissed if I was."

I laughed, and he gently planted a chaste kiss on my lips before saying three words that made my heart beat irregularly, "I love you."

I kissed him again, "I love you too."

* * *

**Omgomgomgomg yayyy :) **

**I'm so happy I got the "I love you's" out of the way. Next chapter will continue their date, because I wanted to add a little something extra ;) nothing inappropriate, don't worry. Well not really. **

**We are coming closer and closer to finding out what happened to Bella's mom. Stay with me, please :D**

**Your reviews keep me going, so please leave me your thoughts :) As usual, I didn't bother to read over my work, so tell me if something's misspelled or needs to be rephrased. **

**I love yoooouuuuuu as much as Edward loves Bella, and vice versa :p **

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	12. Chapter 12

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**Anyway, onto the next chapter.**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _**  
**

Chapter 12

Bella

I was now sat comfortably between Edward's legs with his arms wrapped securely around my waist. He was planting his lips softly on different parts of my face, as I played with his long fingers. It was definitely the most relaxed I'd felt in a while.

"Bella?" Edward called lightly.

"Hmm?" I answered, preoccupied with twiddling with his fingers. Not wanting to seem rude, I turned to him giving him my full attention.

"Would you like to go for a swim?" he asked, slightly nervous, motioning to the blue sea around us with his head, as his hands were being held captive by me.

I pondered the idea for a bit, then unintentionally giggled, realizing something, "Wearing this?" I looked down at my summer dress and then at his dress shirt.

Edward chuckled, shaking his head, "Sorry, I should've clarified. No. Actually, Alice packed us swimsuits."

Of course she did. She was Alice. She knew we'd want to swim before we even did. Oh, the gift of seeing the future-it came in handy from time to time.

I nodded, deciding, "Oh. Well then, sure." I smiled at Edward, before giving his hands one last squeeze. I stood up, immediately regretting it. My legs felt like jelly after sitting for so long, and Edward noticing that I was having trouble with my balance, steadied me by my shoulders, chuckling. I smiled at the sound. Honestly, I could be having the worst day of my life, but just hearing his laugh made everything so much brighter.

He led me to the small bathroom on the yacht, where, sure enough, there was a PacSun bag with a halter bikini and another with black swim trunks. He picked up his bag, heading to the bedroom to change, and leaving me to my devices.

It was only then that I took a good look at my swimsuit.

Surprisingly, I loved it; the top was halter and neon baby blue with black stripes. The middle was scrunched up where the strap tied around my neck. I was happy that when I put it on, it covered everything I wanted it to.

The bottom piece was plain black, and it fit me perfectly. I was happy the suit wasn't skimpy, thinking that I needed to thank Alice for picking it. It didn't feel as revealing as wearing just a bra and panty, which is what it sometimes felt like wearing bikinis.

It also didn't feel too loose to make me uncomfortable. It was a perfect fit. Somehow, that didn't surprise me, especially when Alice was doing the shopping.

I let my hair down, teasing it with my fingers. It took some effort to get it to have that flowing effect again after being left in a ponytail for so long.

When I was satisfied with my dark brown waves, I took a look at myself in the mirror.

There were a few minor scars on my arms due to the many fights I'd undergone over the years, but there were slowly fading. I looked myself up and down, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I usually didn't mind wearing bikinis, but I had a flawless man waiting for me outside.

I sighed_, I needed to get over my insecurities. Seriously._ _Edward loved me exactly the way I was... Right?_

I mean, I thought I had a relatively fit figure. My skin was pale on my body, because no amount of sunlight could tan it-I'd learned that over my years of living in Italy.

My arms and legs were thin, but not in a sickly-looking way-you could see muscles protruding slightly, but not much. I had curves in all the right places; credit to the vampire half of me.

My stomach was flat and toned-I didn't have a six-pack, but you could tell that I worked out. All in all, I thought I was relatively attractive, body-wise. I was no Victoria Secret model, but I wasn't too bad.

I didn't bother putting my dress back on, only to take it off when we were ready to jump in, so I took a last look at myself in the mirror before deciding to go outside.

I opened the door to see Edward leaning across the bedroom doorway, mussing with his wild, bronze hair. He still had his shirt on, but instead of trousers, he wore black swim trunks.

As soon as he heard the door open, he looked up. His eyes widened, jaw dropping, as he scanned my figure none too subtly. His topaz eyes trailed down from my face, to my chest, to my bare stomach, all the way down to my legs.

A deep blush painted my cheeks, realizing he was dumbfounded at the sight of me.

"Uh, um," he coughed, raising his head to look back up into my eyes. "Ready?" Edward looked absolutely flustered, and I was sure if he was still human, he'd be blushing like crazy.

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips at his odd behavior.

Yup, I definitely had to thank Alice.

"Yes," I answered his question, but I don't think he really processed what I'd said. He seemed to be a bit distracted, after all. I felt my ego inflate, happy to know that I had the same effect on him that he had on me.

"Huh?" Edward asked, blinking and trying to regain his composure.

I went up to him, all the while laughing lightly, "Yes Edward, I'm ready." I took his hand in mine tugging him forward to the sea. I decided not to make fun of him, because he was, after all, reacting to me, and I thought it was cute.

"Oh. Right," Edward breathed, making me grin.

As soon as we reached the ladder, Edward stepped back. I was about to ask what was wrong, until lI realized that he was still wearing his shirt.

I looked on, mesmerized as he gently pulled off his shirt. All the while, I felt myself get a taste of heaven. I felt my breath hitch, and I couldn't help but gape at his toned 6-pack, and pecs. Not the mention the way his biceps flexed when he took off his shirt.

Oh my dear Lord.

He was even more gorgeous than I pictured.

I bit my bottom lip, still staring at his body, my eyes roaming all over. Edward's subtle cough broke me out of my trance, and I felt myself turn red while he smiled sheepishly.

I had to keep my eyes trained on his face as he took my hand in his. I sincerely hoped that my face wasn't permanently red.

"Okay. On the count of three, we jump in," Edward squeezed my hand in his.

"1…2…," I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I watched as I broke my hand free out of Edward's grasp and pushed him in. This was usually the point where I started laughing.

Except, I didn't get any time to laugh at his falling figure.

At the last millisecond, Edward used his vampire speed and strength to pull my waist to his chest. Then, we both fell into the water with a loud splash.

Our bodies were still touching as we were fully submerged in the clear blue water. At first, we both laughed, water bubbles floating to the surface. It was mainly at my silliness for thinking that Edward wouldn't react to being pushed into the sea.

But then, Edward pulled me closer to him. I don't know what happened, but we just stayed there, underwater, staring at each other.

I reveled in the feel of his soft, but firm hands on my waist as I stared deeply into his topaz eyes. We were both holding our breath, enjoying the feeling of complete silence we had underwater.

Then his incredibly toned abs touched my stomach as our bodies touched, and I felt my heart rate pick up dramatically.

It was an indescribable feeling.

Edward smiled, most definitely hearing the thrumming of my heart in my chest, before he leaned slowly towards me. My hands went to his hair, which was splayed out in all directions due to the water, as his lips finally pressed onto mine.

Then, I don't know -we were making-out underwater. My lips moved against his, slower than usual because of the water resistance, but still eagerly. I felt myself sigh as Edward's tongue grazed my bottom lip, and then entered into my mouth. Our tongues danced together, and I thought that this was definitely one of the most intense kisses I'd ever shared with Edward.

Because we were underwater, our lips had to be firmly pressed against each other, to prevent the water from flowing in.

One of Edward's hands moved down the length of my body. I felt myself shiver as it came to rest on my thigh. I had to suppress a moan as he tugged it gently. I got the message, hooking both legs around his hips. It wasn't uncomfortable like I'd expected. Then again, nothing was weird with Edward.

He moved his hands to rest underneath my thighs, giving me support, and I couldn't help but think about how flawlessly our bodies meshed together. I was tiny against Edward's lanky but built frame. However, we somehow fit perfectly together.

Realizing that I would need air soon, Edward kicked himself up out of the water, and I pulled away, panting. My lips felt swollen from all the kissing, while Edward staring at me. His eyes were filled with an emotion I couldn't quite place, but I'd definitely seen it before. It wasn't the only emotion in his eyes-I could see love and happiness-but it was the most outstanding.

Our faces were at the same height due to my positioning on Edward's body, and my hands moved from his hair, trailing down to his cheeks, as my elbows rested comfortably on his shoulders.

Edward sighed, resting his forehead against mine, his vibrant honey-coloured eyes shining. It was only then that I noticed that his eye color had darkened.

I blushed, after realizing that the only reasons vampires' eyes darkened was either because they needed to hunt, they were angry, or they were lust-filled. Edward had just gone hunting two days ago, and anger was ruled out. This was definitely due to lust. Suddenly, the foreign emotion became clear in his eyes.

"What?" Edward asked, referring to my blush.

My blush deepened, "Nothing, just noting your eye color."

Edward chuckled, "Why are you blushing, then?" Then it hit him, and the smile wiped off his face. He looked away, embarrassed. "Oh. Sorry."

"Edward, it's alright, really," I used my fingers to turn his head to face me. His eyes still looked darker than usual, making me smile.

"I just think it's flattering how you feel about me," I explained, putting my arms around his neck and kissing his lips gently. To be honest, it was hard to control myself around Edward as well. I always felt my morals slipping away when we had one of our many heated kisses.

Edward smiled slightly, "Thank you." I knew immediately what he was thanking me for: for dissipating the awkwardness... Because that's just what we do. It wasn't a big deal when something unusual happened, because we always found a way to just be normal about it.

After that, I decided to unhook myself from Edward, much to his dismay. I just giggled, swimming around him.

We ended up having a water fight, filled with laughter. Then Edward surprised me, by using vampire speed to swim off. Before I could search for him, I felt a presence behind me as Edward pressed my back against his chest. I tried to control it, but my breaths still ended up coming out short and ragged. He used his nose and traced my cheek, then my neck. He went back up, to my earlobe.

"I love you," he whispered gently into my ear. I smiled, turning my head so that I met his lips, "I love you too."

We did a few laps around the yacht, and I couldn't help but think how amazing this was. Definitely the best date I'd ever gone on. Mostly because I loved the person I was with.

When the sun started to set, we jumped back onto the boat, watching it slowly go down on the horizon. Edward wrapped a towel around me, making me smile at his sweetness.

He didn't let go though- he rested his chin on my shoulder as we watched the painted sky of orange, pink and yellow. He kissed me gently once more, just before it turned into twilight.

Then he took another towel, drying his hair. I did the same, before we both decided it was time to get dressed and go back. I, reluctantly, nodded. I didn't want to go back. It was so much better being with Edward, alone. Just the two of us.

Then again, I was pretty sure they'd send out trackers for us if we didn't come back eventually, so I got changed, shuddering at the thought of how embarrassing that would be.

* * *

"I know you told me not to thank you, but thank you. This date was perfect," I said to Edward as he dropped me off in my room.

Edward looked down at me, chuckling, "You're welcome, Bella. I'm really glad you enjoyed it as much as I did."

I reached up while he bent down and planted a soft kiss on my lips. His lips moved slowly against mine, before he released me.

"I'm just gonna go change. I'll meet up with you later?" Edward nodded, smiling, before giving me a light peck on the forehead. He brushed his fingers along my neck, and then pulled away.

I closed the door, sighing as I leaned against it. I shook my head. What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as Edward Cullen? It just didn't make sense to me.

Anyway, I was going to take as much advantage of it as possible.

* * *

The Cullens and Jace were in his room, talking amongst themselves. As soon as I walked into the room, they fell silent, trying desperately to hide their ecstatic smiles. Edward just looked neutral. I arched my eyebrow suspiciously at the group of people.

"So how was your date?" Jace asked first, looking curious as to what I would say.

"Good," I took a seat next to Edward, and he grasped my hand. We both smiled at each other, reminiscing our wonderful date.

"What'd you guys do?" Jace continued. I tensed up. Was he being serious right now? That was kind of private. I didn't exactly want to broadcast our heavy make-out session, and romantic evening together.

"Stuff," I shrugged, rolling my eyes.

"So you both didn't confess some deep feelings to each other or anything?" I couldn't help it; I blushed like crazy, shielding my face with my hair. I was guessing that either Alice or Edward had told him.

"Maybe," I looked away from all of their beaming faces.

Jace laughed, "I love making her awkward." Then he sighed, before continuing, "Well, all I can say is: I'm happy the cat's finally out of the bag. I was wondering when you both would realize what we've all been seeing for weeks." That just made my blush deepen.

"Thanks... I think," Edward spoke up, a slightly confused expression on his face. I giggled.

"Oh and Edward-just a little side note. I know you love her, and she loves you, but if you ever hurt my little sister-and I mean verbally or physically-I will personally hunt you down and make sure you feel pain like you've never felt it before," Jace seethed at Edward, making my eyes widen and him stiffen. I glared at Jace like, _"Stop trying to scare him off!"_

Jasper spoke up, "Don't worry. We view Bella as our little sister as well, so we'll make sure it'll be twice as painful." Emmett nodded agreeing, while Rosalie and Alice shook their heads, smirking at their mates.

I bit back a smile as Edward looked defensive, "Geez, thanks for your faith in me." I gave Edward a light peck on the lips, making him noticeably relax. We stared at each other for a moment, smiling like it was just the two of us.

"That's amazing," Jasper pondered aloud. We all stared at him like he'd gone crazy. He shook his head, looking embarrassed that he'd said his thoughts aloud.

"Sorry, I mean it's just that you can calm him down with one simple touch. It's admirable, really," Jasper smiled at the two of us, as I blushed, thanking him for the compliment.

For the rest of the night, the Cullens, Jace and I talked amongst ourselves. We even played a mild game of truth or dare. It ended with Jace telling everyone about the time he dressed up in my mom's clothes, me cursing-much to my discomfort-,Edward confessing that I was the first person he'd ever kissed, Emmett wearing Rosalie's thong, Rosalie calling Natalie (the prude of the Volturi) a slut, Jasper flirting with Felix, and Alice burning her favorite dress.

It was pretty eventful, to say the least.

* * *

We had hung out for the entire night, and it was now the day before Edward left to go back home. I had decided that it was time for the truth to come out.

I was pacing in Edward's room, waiting for him to finish showering and changing.

He walked out, looking and smelling fresh as always. His scent was like honey and lilac. Amazing.

His hair was damp from the shower, making it look darker than usual, while he wore a white Tommy Hilfiger polo, with blue jeans. He looked surprised to see me, but pleased, nonetheless.

"Hey," he said, walking up to me.

I took his hand in mine, pulling him to the couch, before making him sit next to me. I breathed, "We need to talk."

Edward looked cautious, rubbing soothing circles in my hand, sensing my anxiety.

"Okay, what's up?"

I closed my eyes, overcome with memory upon memory, until I was jolted to the most important one, still vivid in my mind.

"I want to tell you about my mom. How she died," Edward looked deep into my eyes, deciding my emotions. He squeezed my hand, "Are you sure? …You don't have to tell me. I'm okay with waiting."

He was putting my emotions first, as always. But I wanted to tell him…I needed to tell him.

"No, it's not fair. You've shared so much about yourself with me, and I've been selfish with telling you about the one thing that's made me who I am today," I said, softly, looking into his topaz orbs. They were only filled with compassion, and love.

Edward still looked uncertain, but he nodded, "Okay."

I closed my eyes, before opening them, trying to keep my composure, "She was murdered. Two vampires - brothers, I think - set her on fire."

I breathed, keeping the tears at bay, "They did it because Aro had killed one of their mates, so it was an act of revenge, I guess: mate for mate." Edward was staring at me, trying to look impartial, but I could tell he was feeling pity towards me.

I continued monotonously, "One of them had the power to paralyze you, making you feel motionless and frozen, with one single touch."

Now, the part that Edward needed to hear the most, "And I know all of this…because…." I exhaled, shaking my head.

"Because I was there."

* * *

**I know you guys hate cliffies, but I love them. Mwahahahaha. **

**Thoughts? **

**So the beginning of this chapter was all romance-y and stuff. The middle was just to take up space, I guess. It was pretty unimportant. I felt guilty for leaving out Jace and the Cullens so much, so I put them in there. Really didn't care for this chapter… **

**You guys will get to find out the whole story about Bella's mom, and stuff, next chapter. It's pretty obvious how she got that scar now ;) **

**Reviews make me soooo happy. What should I give my 100****th**** reviewer? Virtual cupcake, maybe? Haha :)**

**Xoxo, **

**LoveACullen **


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for all of the alerts/ favorites…. They're greatly appreciated! :)**

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**Are you guys excited to find out what happened to Bella's mom? Okay, well, read on! **

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_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Twilight. _**  
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Chapter 13

Bella

_Recap:_

_I closed my eyes, before opening them, trying to keep my composure, "She was murdered. Two vampires - brothers, I think - set her on fire." _

_I breathed, keeping the tears at bay, "They did it because Aro had killed one of their mates, so it was an act of revenge, I guess: mate for mate." Edward was staring at me, trying to look impartial, but I could tell he was feeling pity towards me. _

_I continued monotonously, "One of them had the power to paralyze you, making you feel motionless and frozen, with one single touch."_

_Now, the part that Edward needed to hear the most, "And I know all of this…because…." I exhaled, shaking my head.  
_

"_Because I was there." _

I felt Edward's thumb stop moving as his hand froze. He exhaled, and before he could open his mouth to say anything, I stopped him. This was the first time I'd allowed myself to go back to that day two years ago, but I had to tell him…explain to him, what had happened. Edward was the only one I knew who wouldn't treat me differently after I told him.

"You don't have to say anything. At least, not until I'm finished," I muttered, looking at Edward. He nodded slightly, not loosening the grip on my hand. He didn't understand how much comfort that one action brought me.

I closed my eyes, finally allowing myself to relive that memory. The same one that gave me nightmares every single night for months. I was scared to tell Edward, to share this experience, but I knew that he would be the only one I'd feel the slightest bit comfortable about it with.

_Flashback:_

_It was March break, and I was thrilled that school had finally gone out. Jace was hanging out with friends, probably going to the field across from school to have a football match. _

_I, on the other hand, had plans with Renée. _

_You see, my mom and I had this tradition to always go shopping on the first day of my vacation. It was a great tradition, really._

_I stalked into the mall, going to our regular meeting place, Dan's Bistro, in the food court. I always grabbed a bite first, before we decided to hit the shops. Renée was usually always sitting at our regular seat, patiently waiting for me to arrive. Then she'd congratulate me on surviving another school term, and I'd laugh. The usual. _

_But this time was different, she was nowhere to be seen. I was a little confused at that, but shrugged it off, thinking she'd just gotten caught up at work. _

_I ordered my customary grilled turkey sandwich, and ate it, closing my eyes as the food went down my throat. I sighed, _This is delicious.

_Half an hour had passed, and I was getting a little annoyed. My mom had been getting so busy with work lately that she'd gotten into the habit of running late. I couldn't be too irritated with her-after all she was doing this to make a living. _

_I tried not to fume when a full hour had passed, thinking that she had ditched me. I paid the bill, bounding to her store, and storming in. I fully expected to spot her right away, and give her a long lecture on how I had been waiting by myself for her lovely presence to grace me for over an hour. Except she wasn't in either of her stores. _

_If I wasn't confused before, I was definitely confused now. Where could she have possibly gone off to? I called her cell number, but I was stunned when it went straight to voicemail. Okay, what was going on? She never ignored my calls. _

_I walked out of the mall through the back exit where all of the cars usually parked, straightaway spotting her red Ferrari. It was kind of hard to miss. _

_So she was definitely in the mall... I rolled my eyes, mentally smacking my head, realizing she had probably just started shopping without me. I dialed her number again, about to hit the 'Call' button, until my vampire hearing picking up on something unusual. I immediately stopped in my tracks. _

"_What do you want?" the voice spat. It was my mom's voice, but it sounded strained. _

_I felt my feet moving before my mind could process what was happening. I was racing to the source of her voice which was in a dark alleyway, hidden just outside the mall. I froze, feeling the wind get knocked out of me as I saw the scene before me. _

_There were two guys, looking to be in their early thirties, towering above my mom who was lying motionless on the ground. They both had blood red eyes, a clear sign that they were human-drinking vampires. I mentally groaned, readying myself to show those guys who they were messing with. _

_One of them had dirty blonde hair and looked to be a body builder-a really huge body builder. I was a little sketchy about fighting him, but the other had dark brown hair, and looked to be as skinny as a matchstick. That'd be easy. _

_Despite his physique, I could see that he was the leader, telling the buff guy what to do. _

_As soon as I reached the alleyway, both of their heads snapped up. My mom however, was struggling to even look up at me. I crinkled my eyebrows, _What did they do to her?

"_Leave her alone," I said calmly, but every word was filled with venom. I was beyond furious with what they'd done to her. _

_The brunette chuckled humorlessly, "Is this some kind of joke?" He looked to the blonde, then to my mom, eyebrows raised. _

_He turned back to me, waving me off with a boney hand, "Run away, little human. This business doesn't involve you." _

_Okay, _now _I was beyond angry. I made a swooshing motion with my right hand, watching as my power over wind knocked Buffy and Boney-my nicknames for the buff vampire, and the boney one- straight into the wall. _

_The stone crumbled due to the force of the two guys. _

_Before they could regain their composure, or take a moment to assess what had happened, I picked up my mom, struggling to carry her to her Ferrari. _

"_Bella, go. Please, just run. I don't want you to get hurt. Call Felix, I'll be fine until he comes," my mom said forcefully, like it was hard to even get those words out. _

_I stopped, "I'm not leaving you. Look, I'll call Felix, but I'm not going anywhere. You can't even move mom!" I gave her a look like, "Are you stupid?" One of them clearly had the power of paralysis. From the neck down, Renée was completely still. And from the neck up, she had limited motion. _

_I had made it halfway to the parking lot, and whipped out my cell phone, punching in Felix's number. Just as I hit the 'Call' button, I felt my hair being forcefully pulled backwards. My phone dropped onto the asphalt, along with me, and before I could even make to reach for it, Buffy stomped an ugly, moss green boot on it. _

_So there goes my new phone. _

_I glared at him, slamming my fist against the ground and watching as a crack in the earth opened up just where Buffy was standing. I made a downward motion with my hand, deepening the crack so that Buffy could be fully buried underneath the earth. I then molded the crack together to look like nothing ever happened. _

_Buffy was definitely going to escape in a few seconds, but I was just buying us time. I picked up my mom and attempted to drag her the rest of the way to her car. That was until I felt the ground shake, probably due to Buffy trying to punch and claw his way out of the earth. His ugly head reared out as I tried to quickly run to the car. _

_But something in my gut told me that I wasn't going to make it. I never was going to make it. I took deep breaths, feeling my energy decreasing as I attempted to pull my limp mom, trying one last time to get to the car. _

_Buffy was in front of me before I could even blink. I wondered where his master was, probably still in the alley, waiting for Buffy to bring us back. _

"_You know, I was actually gonna let you go. Not anymore. No, definitely not. Now…you suffer," he was livid as he gripped my arms, dragging me like a rag doll on the asphalt. I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but I felt a searing pain as he crushed my wrists in his hand. _

"_I'll come back for you. Stay put," Buffy laughed at his own joke as he looked at my mom's unmoving figure lying in the middle of the road. _

_Boney looked amused at my deadly glare, as Buffy dropped me in front of him._

_Despite my broken wrists, I was still going to try to put up a fight. I felt my adrenaline pumping as I roundhouse kicked Buffy, then kneed him right where it hurt. He looked pissed off beyond belief as he punched me several times in the gut, most definitely breaking a few ribs. Then he pulled me up by my hair-what was this guy's obsession with hair pulling?- threw me up in the air, then grabbed my leg and swung me into the wall. _

_I felt dizzy and weak. I could usually handle three vampires at a time, but I was pretty sure this one had super strength. My bones never broke that easily. _

_Boney smiled sickly as I coughed up blood. _

_Then I watched anxiously as he approached me. I wanted to move so badly, or slap that disgusting smirk off of his face, but I ached everywhere, and I was pretty sure my brain was hemorrhaging. I barely processed anything that was going on. My phone was broken, so I couldn't call for reinforcements. I already felt paralyzed and he hadn't even used his power on me. _

_Buffy pulled out a knife, walking up to me, and stooping down next to my sitting figure. Boney was smiling next to him. "Get her and come back. I'm gonna have a nice chat with this girl in the meantime," he grinned at me, showing razor sharp teeth. _

_Buffy looked disappointed that he couldn't finish me off, but nodded nevertheless, "Yes, brother." Brothers? They were total opposites, physically. I saw no resemblance whatsoever. _

_I wondered how those two could even be related, let alone brothers, but again, it was hurting to even think right now._

"_So you're the daughter. Huh, I see the uncanny resemblance. You're cocky, just like him, thinking you could take us down. Well, you do realize that you can't stop us, right? You messed up this entire plan already. I'm not gonna let you mess it up even more," he said through gritted teeth. _

"_I don't see the point of letting you go now. You can't even move, and by the time you run off to tell you little army of gifted vampires about us, your mother will already be dead. And we'll be gone, just like that," he snapped his fingers. _

"_I'm gonna enjoy every little second of her burning, just like your dear old father enjoyed killing my mate. My Annabel. And guess what? You're gonna watch with me," Boney laughed maniacally. _

"_So this is all for revenge? My mother hasn't done _anything_ to you! Just let her go. Please. Kill me instead. I deserve it more than she does," my voice cracked as I felt myself getting weaker and weaker. _

"_No. It's better this way. I want Aro to feel the gripping pain I feel every day, knowing that she's gone. And never coming back. Do you know what that feels like? Of course you don't. You know, I even felt a little bad about killing her, knowing that she had two children. Then you crashed me into a wall. Suddenly, my sympathy went away," Boney shrugged, smiling. I was getting tired of that creepy smile, mixed with those red eyes. _

"_Please, she's innocent," I begged, to which he just shook his head. "No can do. My mind's already made up," Boney got up, meeting Buffy who was carrying my paralyzed mother. _

_She whimpered, her eyes widening, when she saw my beat up figure. _

"_Bella," her golden eyes would've been filled with tears if she was human. I couldn't even bring myself to look at her. I couldn't even save her. Instead, I was just lying on the floor, trying not to think about the pain I was feeling from my broken bones. _

"_Leave her out of this. You can kill me, but don't hurt her," my mom pleaded with her eyes to Boney and Buffy. _

"_The love between you two is moving, really. As for your offer, I'll think about it," Boney nodded, but there was a mischievous glint in his eye. _

_He then proceeded to pick up a large barrel of kerosene hidden in the shadows of the alley. He grinned, as he asked, "Last words?"_

_My mom turned to me, and I felt a shudder run through me, "I love you, Bella." I wanted to tell her to shut up, that these guys were just bluffing, and we'd get away from all of this. I wanted to get up, and save her, tell her we'd be alright. That these guys were out of their minds. _

_I wanted to help her, so badly, but I felt like if my arms and legs were jelly, completely useless. _

_You know in movies, when there's the damsel in distress who's about to die, but suddenly her knight in shining armor comes to the rescue? It wasn't happening, even though I'd prayed it would. _

_Instead, I looked on; feeling like none of this was real. I waited to wake up, for this nightmare to end. I waited to wake up, and have my mom comfort me saying that it was all just a bad dream. _

_But it never came. _

_I felt my breaths echo loudly in my ears as tears overflowed my eyes. My body felt a million times weaker now. Sobs wracked my chest as he poured kerosene all over her, drenching her. No, this couldn't be happening. I felt a strength course through my veins; probably it was my body's way of getting over the shock. For a moment, I felt hope. _

_I tried desperately to move my arms, whip Boney and Buffy out of the way, save my mom. But nothing was moving, no matter how much I forced myself to move. _

_Frustrated tears streamed down my face._

_Buffy saw my struggle, and took the opportunity to brandish his shiny knife. _

_Boney raised his eyebrows at Buffy, "Hmm. That's a good idea. Why don't you two die together? It'll be sweet. Oh but don't worry Renée, I'll make sure she doesn't feel a thing. You, on the other hand-I can't make any promises." _

_Boney bent down to my level, and held me in a chokehold as I felt my sense of movement slip away. I couldn't feel my injuries, but instead of feeling happy about it, it just made me even angrier. _

_I wanted to feel the pain. _

_I understood perfectly that Boney was going to take the paralysis off of my mom as soon as he lit the fire. It was to make her feel her entire body burning. It was twisted, really. _

_I didn't want her to be the only one suffering. It was only fair that I had to suffer with her. I protested, feeling like even my voice box was stiff. _

_Boney just waved his hand at me, as Buffy plunged the hilt of his dagger into the right side of my neck. I didn't feel anything, not even as I watched blood pool from my open wound on the ground. _

_This all felt like one, sick joke to me. I had been convinced that we'd both get out of this alive, that I was strong enough to take two pathetic vampires. But they had planned everything out so well. One had ten times more strength than the average vampire, the other made you limp. _

_I felt helpless. I could've listened to my mom and ran away to call for help. But Buffy still would've caught up to me and made sure I couldn't get to a phone. I played out various scenarios in my head, but all ended the same. Mom dead. Me dead. Or both. _

_I should've done something differently. Maybe I could've run off before my presence was known and called for Felix. But the mall was an hour away from the castle, so even with vampire speed, it would've taken a few minutes to get here. Enough time to kill her. _

_Boney and Buffy had planned this out so well: luring her out of the mall, probably paying some human to tell her that her car was being towed. Then she walked into her death trap, and I didn't react quickly enough._

_I went through all the "could have's" and the "should have's" but that's all they were. I couldn't change the past. My breaths came out ragged. _

_I felt my consciousness slip away from the blood loss, but I held on to watch Boney light up my mom. _

_I held on to say the last words I'd ever say to her, "I love you too, Mom." _

_The fire licked her legs first, then the flames spread to her chest in a millisecond. At first, she was unmoving as the fire went up her body burning off layers off clothes, then her skin. Then the screaming started as the paralysis was taken away. _

_I blacked out before I could see more. But that expression of utter agony and shock plastered across her face, covered by fire was forever imprinted in my brain. I couldn't forget it. I would never forget it. _

I came back to the present, watching Edward's never-changing expression of anguish. "I woke up in the hospital. The paralysis had worn off after a day. Jace had found me. He got worried when mom and I weren't picking up our phones, so he came looking for us. I was dying in the alley, but the ambulance managed to come in time. Saved me."

I sighed, continuing, "He had seen the pile of ashes, lying right in front of me, and knew right away what had happened."

The tears were still coming freely down my face, "Everyone looked for the murderers, but they were smart. They covered their tracks so well that even Demetri, our best tracker, couldn't find them. I didn't talk for months…just stayed in my room. Everyone gave me space, didn't ask me what happened. They knew the gist of it. Then after a while, I realized I was being really stupid, and I just got up and went outside, taking in the fresh air."

"But during those months, I would wake up every day, screaming my head off from the same, repeating nightmare. At first, I forgot that it had truly happened, and I always expected my mom to just waltz into my room, and say that she was still here… But she never was. It took me a while to get over it, go back to normal. But things still aren't the same as they used to be.

"They're never gonna be the same, but it doesn't hurt as much as it used to, to think about it."

I finished, wiping away the stray tears on my face with my free hand. Edward stopped my hand with his, and I sniffled. Then, he gently rested my hand on my lap, and wiped away the rest of the tears.

He opened his mouth, but then closed it. Instead of speaking like I expected him to, he pulled my body to his chest, and I sighed, wrapping my arms around him. I felt better telling Edward what happened, sharing that painful memory with him. I knew he was happy I'd opened up to him, even if he wasn't exactly glad about what had happened.

"I know you probably got this a million times when your mom died but: I'm so sorry. I knew that she had been murdered, but I never imagined that you were there. You didn't deserve to go through that at all, Bella. I'm sorry for pushing you to tell me about your scar last week. I didn't know it was associated with such a terrible memory.

"I know that you'll never forget what happened. But I hope you know that I'll always be here for you. No matter what. I love you so much, and that's never going to change," he whispered, stroking my hair. I leaned further into his chest.

"Thank you for telling me," Edward said, his velvety smooth voice calming me, kissing my head. A few silent tears spilled out of my eyes, but this time they weren't of sadness. I bit my lip, feeling incredibly lucky to have Edward by my side.

I knew that my mom had been taken away from me, but I also knew that Edward had entered my life for a reason. To make me happier than I'd felt ever felt in my entire life, even when my mom was alive. Because not only was he a wonderful friend, filling the gaping hole in my heart and making me feel whole again, but he was my amazing mate for life, making me feel special and loved.

I never wanted him to leave me, because I knew for a fact that I couldn't ever survive without him.

"I love you too, Edward." More than you know it.

* * *

**I decided to be productive today, so I wrote the chapter. OMG :O I was planning on posting it tomorrow, but I wanted to be nice. **

**I visualized the entire flashback way differently in my head. There were definitely some additions that I hadn't planned in this chapter, but how was it? I didn't feel like it was as sad as I wanted it to be…but I'm really not amazing at writing angst. **

**If you hated it, please don't be harsh with your reviews. If you loved it, then great :D **

**Honestly, this chapter was super hard to write, and it's really confusing, come to think of it. Sorry anout that :( **

**Leave me some reviews, because I love reading through them ;) **

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to everyone who alerted/favorited :) it's much appreciated!**

**Thank you to: **_**BabyA (Guest), LindseyLee, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest), tonisparkz, abi (Guest), chewybrownies7, Nemo's nose (Guest), lantus123, Dizzy167, thelionismine, ellaryne**_**, and **_**dann965**_**, for reviewing. **

**Sorry it took so long for me to update. Been so busy lately :| thank you for all of the amazing feedback I got on the last chapter. **

**Quick note: I made a few corrections on chapters 1, 2, 5 & 8 because reading them over, I thought they were quite terrible. It was just grammar corrections though – I didn't change anything about the plot. You don't have to re-read them, but I just thought I should let you guys know. **

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _**  
**

Chapter 14

Bella

I woke up an hour later to find myself lying snuggled up next to Edward on his couch. I blinked my eyes a few times, feeling that they felt a bit stiff. Then I yawned, getting the attention of Edward, who chuckled lightly next to me.

I was having a hard time remembering why I was here, until it all came rushing back to me, washing over me like a tsunami. I had told Edward everything about that day with my mom. I felt a huge relief that everything Edward ever needed to know about me was out in the open.

I flinched, also remembering how I had bawled my eyes out – very attractively – on Edward's shirt, then proceeded to fall asleep on him_. If that wasn't being a perfect girlfriend, I didn't know what was._ Note heavy sarcasm.

Lastly, I remembered Edward humming a beautiful melody to me, just before my consciousness slipped away. I had muttered incoherently, "Mmm, that's lovely. What's it called?" and just as I felt myself finally give into sleep, I had heard him whisper, "'Bella's Lullaby'."

I hadn't had the will to ask him then, as exhaustion had taken its toll on me, so I decided to ask him now, "You wrote a song for me?"

Edward peered down at me, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from my face, "Yes."

I grinned, "No one's ever done something so sweet for me. Thank you." Edward smiled at my answer, pleased that I liked his composition.

"It certainly is fitting. I drifted off to sleep after you hummed it to me," I laughed, making Edward's smile grow, "I know."

I didn't miss the fact that Edward was acting strange again. His smile wasn't as bright as it always was; it looked forced.

I felt crippled, thinking that I had something to do with that.

Maybe Edward had finally seen what had always been clear to me: I was too much baggage for him. He was probably finding a way to let me down easy, like the good person he was – especially after I had confessed something so big and dear to my heart to him.

I needed to stop assuming things, because so far, my assumptions had been completely off-track. I needed to just go with the flow.

I decided that I'd ask him about it after I got cleaned up, so I excused myself giving him a light peck on the lips, before getting up.

* * *

After cleaning myself up, I looked into the mirror, making sure I looked presentable. I had passed the flat-iron through my hair, so instead of the usual waves that tumbled below my shoulders, it was dark, straight and smooth. I twirled and clipped up my side bangs to one side, and only applied a bit of eyeliner and lip stain for make-up.

My outfit was simple: a floral print top along with a pair of white shorts and my signature flip flops. When I was satisfied with my appearance, I took a deep breath preparing myself to go back to Edward's room.

Except: that wasn't necessary, because as soon as I opened the door, I saw Edward standing there. He looked surprised to see me standing there, his hand hovering, about to knock. I grinned, "Hi."

He dropped his hand. "Hey," Edward smiled back, doing a double-take after he looked at me. "You look stunning," he complimented me, dipping down to give me a gentle kiss. I smiled against his lips.

I was going to miss this so much when he left for Forks.

I closed the door behind him, leading him to the loveseat, and cutting right to the chase.

"What's on your mind? And don't say 'nothing', because I can clearly see that it's something," I looked pointedly at Edward, who just sighed, looking down.

He passed his fingers through his already tousled bronze hair, once again taking a deep breath. "Bella, I can't do this."

The wind rushed out of me in one breath.

I looked away, feeling like someone had just ripped out my heart and stomped on it repeatedly.

This had always been my secret fear: that I would finally find someone who I loved and who loved me back, but then they'd eventually leave me when things got too intense.

I guess I just never imagined it'd be Edward to do this to me. He'd proved me wrong so many times, I just figured he'd do it again. But I couldn't expect so much from him; couldn't blame this on him. It was my entire fault. My past was always going to haunt me.

I still felt like crawling into a very deep hole, though. I figured that Edward would still want me even after I told him about my awful past. How wrong was I... My eyes prickled, but I forced the threatening tears away, refusing to show any weakness.

"You-you're br-breaking up with me?" I left my eyes averted away from his face, waiting for him to give me the confirmation I expected, hating myself for stuttering.

"_What? _No! Oh God, no! Bella," Edward sighed putting his face in his hands, looking mortified that I had thought that's what he meant.

I didn't hide my confusion, "I don't understand." My eyebrows wrinkled. 'I can't do this' was always a break-up line, so what was he saying?

Edward chuckled, removing his hands from his face and pulling my face in his hands. I unconsciously leaned into his comforting touch.

"My intentions are far from that. I don't ever want to leave you….which brings me to the thing that I can't do. I can't leave to go back to Forks, Bella," Edward confessed, making me frown. Before I could protest and say that he had to go back with his family, Edward cut me off.

"At least...not without you."

I froze, my mouth slightly agape. Was he insinuating… "What are you asking?" I bit my lip, trying hard not to smile. I was practically bursting with happiness at his offer, euphoric that I had misunderstood him.

Edward took my hands in his, looking at me from under his eyelashes. Oh Lord, he knew he dazzled me when he did that.

"Bella, would you like to come live with me and my family in Forks?" I grinned just at his politeness, blushing slightly. I didn't even need to think about it.

"Yes, Edward, I'd love to," I beamed, giving him just the incentive he needed to plant his smooth, perfect lips onto mine.

My eyes closed shut as they always did when his lips touched mine. I sighed in comfort as his hands slid around my waist, pulling me so close that I was on his lap sideways. My hands instinctively went to his neck, then into his hair. I was pretty sure that this is what heaven felt like.

One of Edward's hands slipped down, making me gasp when it came in contact with my butt. That was just what Edward wanted as his tongue slipped through my mouth. I smiled, my tongue wrestling with his. I could tell that he was thrilled at my answer.

"Bella, I need you to help me – OH!" I pulled away from Edward, blushing uncontrollably because my brother had just walked in on me and Edward. Jace's jaw was dropped, and he looked apologetic.

Edward looked extremely sheepish as Jace stared at the two of us. _Well this isn't awkward at all_, I thought.

"So uh, I'll just come back later then," Jace chuckled at our expressions of unease, turning to leave. I stopped him, slipping off of Edward's lap. My blush deepened when Edward's hand brushed my leg. He just smiled cheekily.

"Jace, what do you want help with?" It was actually the perfect opportunity for me to tell him about Edward's offer. I was nervous, to say the least.

My brother smiled, turning back around, and coming to sit on the table in front of us. "Sorry to interrupt, by the way. I was just wondering if you could help me hack into someone's Facebook profile?" he questioned, his grey-blue eyes shining with anticipation.

My face was blank. Seriously? He had interrupted my amazing kiss with Edward because he wanted to hack into someone's _Facebook profile_? I resisted the urge to slap my brother upside down.

"Really, Jace?" I sighed, rubbing my temples. I felt Edward's hand wrap around my waist, easing me out of my annoyance. I smiled up at my boyfriend, before sighing, reluctantly taking the iPad from my brother's pale hand. He grinned, looking like a kid on Christmas day.

I took one look at the Facebook profile and scoffed, "Ugh. What did he do?" I was referring to Jace's arch enemy, Jacob Black. He used to be our friend until he spread a nasty rumour about Jace - that he cheated on Lainey. Ever since then, we've always hated him.

Jace narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular, "He posted my number to his Facebook telling everyone that it was a phone sex hotline." I snorted, trying to conceal the giggle. As much as I hated Jacob Black, he did have a creative mind for pranks.

"It's not funny," Jace protested, before looking to Edward, "Right?" Edward was looking away from Jace trying desperately to conceal his grin.

"No, it's not funny. Really," Edward said, trying to keep a straight face. I tried not to stare at his cute expression too much, in case Jace teased me about it.

He raised his eyebrows at me, getting back on track, "So? Will you hack it?"

"Of course I will. Jacob's going down," I smiled evilly while Jace laughed, thanking me.

I was actually pretty happy that he'd needed my help because I wanted to butter him up as much as possible before I told him about Edward's idea.

"You're a really great sister," Edward complimented me, referring to how I was pretty much willing to do anything for Jace. Whoever messed with my brother, messed with me.

"Thanks. I just know that he'd do the same for me if I had a situation like this," I explained. We had our conversation when Jace was busy telling off a guy who'd called asking for a blowjob. His words, not mine.

Edward and I laughed, as he ended the call and rolled his eyes, "I'm gonna enjoy my revenge." Edward and I laughed along with him. _  
_

Just as my brother thanked me, I glanced at Edward, and then stopped Jace from leaving.

"Um, Jace. Before you go, we have something to tell you," I chewed my lip nervously, while Edward squeezed my waist comfortingly. I had prolonged telling him, figuring that he'd overreact, but I needed to get it out before he found out from someone else. That'd be a pickle I'd like to avoid.

Jace's black eyebrows shot up, "Oh my gosh. You're pregnant, aren't you?"

My face pretty much turned into a tomato, and Edward's grip on me loosened. He exhaled, looking away. Great. Did my brother _want _to scare him away?

Jace knew that it was impossible for me to get pregnant. I had never even gotten my period…so that pretty much summed up my fertility. It was physically impossible for me to procreate due to my vampiric genes.

I mean, everything had developed normally, but my organs didn't function like a normal human.

I absolutely adored kids, but the whole labor thing freaked me out a little. So it was a 50/50 feeling I got when I found out I was infertile.

I glared at Jace, who just laughed, "So I guess that's a 'no'. Then what's the big news?"

"My family and I would like it if Bella came to Forks with us," Edward spoke up, getting straight to the point, recovered from his moment of discomfort.

Jace opened then closed his mouth, "Oh… And you're going?" He looked to me, mixed emotions in his eyes. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but I knew he was sad, and hurt.

"I want to. But I have to clear it with dad first," I explained, to which Jace nodded stiffly.

"I don't know how I feel about this… It'll be weird not having you around. What if we need you? What if _I_ need you?" I looked down, sighing. I knew it wouldn't be easy breaking the news to him.

"Jace, I'll just be a phone-call away," I tried to reason with him. Edward stayed silent, realizing that this was something we had to discuss on our own, as family.

"I just don't understand. Why all of a sudden?" Jace shrugged his shoulders.

I was actually stumped for this question, turning to Edward. I was wondering the same thing.

Edward nodded, "I wanted to ask her for a while when my feelings really started to deepen, but I put it off. I didn't know if she'd want to come with me; leave all of this."

Edward now stared directly at me, and I was overwhelmed with the amount of love I saw in them, "But you talk in your sleep... and you said that it'd be hard for you when I went back, especially after what you told me. I couldn't stand leaving you here, in pain. So I decided to just man up and ask." Edward looked to Jace, whose shoulders slumped, sighing.

"I still don't get it. Why don't _you_ just stay here?" Jace nodded his head towards Edward.

I answered before Edward started to feel guilty, "I can't just ask him to leave his family for me."

Jace put his hand over his head, letting his frustration get to him. He raised his voice, "But that's what you're doing for him!" He closed his eyes, shaking his head, regretting he'd lost his temper, "I just lost mom. I don't wanna lose you too."

I exhaled, tears forming in my eyes, "I promise I'll visit. Often. Really often. And you can always visit me. I'm not gonna be gone like that, Jace. I'll still be here, just in a different continent...

I sighed, "Please don't be upset."

Jace put his face in his hands, "I'm not upset. I just can't believe you're doing all of this for him! Do you really love him that much?" I found it extremely rude that Jace was insulting Edward while he was sitting right there.

"Jace, stop! I'm not just doing this for him. Yes, it's a big part of the reason, but I'm also doing this for me. You don't fully understand how hard it's been living here for the past two years. Italy's only filled with bad memories for me. I need some space. Space that I never got when she died," I said, honesty filling every word.

That seemed to shut him up. I hated shouting at him, but he also had no right making me feel stupid about leaving Italy for Edward. Jace didn't understand how much I needed Edward; he was the only thing keeping me from crumbling.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you," I apologized to Jace who shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I had no right disagreeing with your decision. Especially before I even knew why you chose to do this. I would probably do the same if I was in your position."

I relaxed immediately, getting up and meeting Jace for a bear hug. I was just as tiny against his frame as I was against Edward's, and I felt tears of joy well up in my eyes. I really appreciated his acceptance.

"I'm holding you to your promise. I expect regular phone and Skype calls, in addition to visits on every public holiday," Jace pulled away from me, wiping my tears from my eyes, and smiling sweetly at me.

I simply laughed, sniffling a bit, "I'll try, for you. Thank you for being okay with it."

Jace simply nodded, "You're my sister. I just want you to be happy." My heart warmed at his words.

I couldn't wish for a sweeter brother. I simply smiled at him, saying with my eyes just how much I loved him.

He hadn't forgotten Edward though, and turned to him, "Remember what I said, Cullen. You hurt her, I hurt you." He glared while Edward cracked a smile, walking up to us.

"I promise I'll take care of her," Edward said as he snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. He knew that Jace trusted him and was only trying to scare him a little. He had learned not to take Jace too seriously with anything.

Jace sighed, "Good.

"Well anyway. I'm gonna get going. You know, I'm a busy person. Got lots of pranks to pull, and so forth." He laughed before waving goodbye, "See you two lovebirds later."

We both said our goodbyes, and I sighed, before turning to face Edward.

"That wasn't so hard," I giggled nervously, twirling my hair with my fingers.

Edward blinked, "I still have to ask your father's permission." I was secretly hoping he'd forgotten about that, but my guy wasn't oblivious.

I decided the best solace I could give him was physical comfort. I reached up, cupping his cheek in my hand and kissing his worries away.

"I'll be there with you. Just be calm, okay? It's gonna be fine," I comforted him. That seemed to boost his ego, and he shrugged his shoulders, breathing deeply.

Edward grinned, pulling me closer to him, and bending down.

He brushed his lips against mine, "Once you're with me, everything's going to be great. I'm so lucky to have you," he whispered.

I bit my lip, blushing uncontrollably, before I deepened the kiss. I couldn't help but agree with him. Nothing else mattered to me once I was with him, because he was the only one I ever needed.

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**So I wasn't really into this chapter that much. But a lot of you have been begging for some Jace, so I decided to have a little bro-sis conversation in was quite boring, and my writing skills kind of plummeted, so I'm SORRY :|  
**

**I also cleared up where Bella and Edward's relationship is heading: that Bella's moving to Forks with him and the Cullens :D yay! I can't wait to start writing about school life and stuff in Forks. Oooo :) **

**Do you guys want me to write the conversation between Aro and the lovely couple in the next chapter? Because it'll be pretty similar to the one between Jace and Bella. Just wondering.  
**

**Leave me some reviews with your thoughts… you know how I love those ;) **

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you to everyone who alerted/ favorited :) **

**Thank you to**_**: tonisparkz, KRIS-LOVES-ROB-X (Guest), Ella-Mango, vampdreams, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, chewybrownies7, ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest), thelionismine, BabyA (Guest), Dizzy167**_**, and 1 **_**Guest**_** for reviewing last chapter. **

**Been really busy these past couple of days, so I'm extremely sorry for the wait! :( **

**It's so crazy seeing how much some of you really love my story :) it makes me so incredibly happy, so please don't stop with the reviews. They all make me smile. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapterrr ;)**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 15

Bella

Alice had stopped by my bedroom a short while after, grinning at the two of us, clearly happy that I'd said 'yes'. The entire Cullen family was ecstatic that I'd be staying with them. The plan was that I'd stay in Italy for an extra few days to pack up my clothes and belongings, while Esme and the girls sorted out a guest bedroom for me and signed me up to go to Forks High.

The hardest part now was to actually get permission from my father, which I was absolutely dreading.

I tightened my grip on Edward's hand, making his eyebrows crease in worry, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

I couldn't believe that he was asking me this, "Absolutely." That seemed to relax him as he took a deep breath. Demetri was standing outside the throne room and he looked at the two of us interestedly.

"Can you tell my father that Edward and I would like a word with him?" I asked Demetri, who nodded politely before entering the throne room.

"Ready?" I spoke up, looking into Edward's topaz orbs. They twinkled with happiness, "Always." I bit my lip, unable to hide my smile. He was just too incredible for words.

Demetri reopened the door a few seconds later, nodding towards us. I guess this was our cue. We both walked into the room, and I resisted the urge to cringe.

The feeling of impending doom was always thick in the air in this room, because this was where the 'Kings' decided the fate of lawbreaking vampires. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a different case, and that I was _not_ going to die.

The guards had already been sent out, and it was just Aro, Marcus, and Caius sitting on their pedestals and looking amused at Edward and me.

They all nodded to us, smiling kindly, albeit suspiciously, at us. We nodded right back.

Edward cleared his throat, an action that made my nerves increase tenfold, realizing that we hadn't discussed what we were going to say.

My anxiety immediately dissipated, however, as I did a mental facepalm. This was Edward Cullen, of all people. He always had the right words.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank you for inviting my family and me to this wonderful ball, and for allowing us to stay here in your home," Edward's voice took on a different, professional tone. I had to keep myself from jumping him in front of my family. He sounded so sexy.

My father and uncles kept silent, nodding in understanding.

Edward exhaled deeply, and I intertwined my fingers with his – an action that the onlookers didn't miss, as they all smirked.

"Secondly, what Bella and I came here to talk to you about: It's something that we would appreciate having your permission on doing," Edward continued, pausing to gauge Aro's reaction. His face looked placid, but there was a hint of panic in his eyes.

I realized that I was being unfair by letting Edward do all the talking, as this was my decision too. I spoke up before he could have a chance to continue, "The Cullens would like me to move in with them. And before you say anything: it won't be like I'm leaving permanently. I'll still make frequent visits. I'll be here for your wedding. It's just something that I wanna do."

I got it all out in one go, making Aro's eyes widen as he took it all in. He closed his golden eyes, before sighing. I was anticipating some heavy berating, maybe even screaming. But what I got instead was nothing but calm and collected, "Don't you think you're rushing into this?"

Oh, so he was guilt-tripping me. I see.

I restrained myself from saying something that I'd regret like, _"Rushing into things? I'm not the one getting married a month after knowing someone."_

Instead, I bit my tongue, mulling my thoughts over and deciding on something to say, "Dad, it's not like if I'm moving into an apartment with just Edward and me. His family's gonna be there too. You know, the Cullens? Very respectable people. It'll be like I was a foreign exchange student."

My dad sighed, rubbing his temples, "What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know; that you're okay with this. That you're supporting me, even though you'll miss me," I said, shrugging my shoulders. Edward squeezed my hand, rubbing soothing circles on my palm. I sighed at the feeling, smiling gratefully at him.

"Bella, I've had you for almost seventeen years. Living here, in this castle. How am I supposed to just… say 'yes' to that?" Aro questioned, pulling at the ends of his jet-black hair in frustration.

"If I may interrupt… Sir, I promise that I'll take extreme care of your daughter. If she doesn't like it in Forks, she's welcome to come back. I'm just doing what I think will make her happy," Edward said softly, looking directly at my father.

That seemed to just make my father snap, "Are you implying that you think my daughter is unhappy here? How dare you." I rolled my eyes at my father's behavior.

Edward stayed calm as ever, but looked away from my father's death glare. I didn't appreciate my Aro's low blows to my boyfriend.

"That's enough, dad. And don't make it seem like Edward's out of his mind for saying that, because he's right. I _am_ unhappy here. The only time I actually enjoyed living here after mom died, was when he came.

I continued, "Do you know how hard it is for me to just live here pretending that nothing happened? Pretending that I didn't see her burn alive? I haven't been able to go within a mile radius of that mall since that day. Everything here reminds me of what happened. How am I supposed to get closure with that?"

Aro softened, looking guilty, before sighing, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I don't ever seem to ask you how you feel about anything. I just can't talk about that, Bella. I know that I didn't lose her the same way you did, but it's still painful."

Before I could even think about it, the words slipped out, "I know that, dad. Believe me, I do. But you weren't there, watching it. No one was. You don't know how impossible it is for me to just let go while living here. You have Sulpicia, and you're getting married. That's your way of moving on, right? So how is that any different from me going to live with the Cullens? I'm moving on too."

I bit my lip after, anticipating his reaction. All he did was nod.

"I know that I can't come between mates. That's dangerous territory. It's just going to be hard for me to let you go," Aro said solemnly. I squeezed Edward's hand once before releasing it. Then I did something that I hadn't been able to do since my mom died: I walked up to my dad and enveloped him in a hug.

He stood up, stroking my hair lightly, and I couldn't help the silent tears that streamed down my face. I had blamed my mom's death on not only me, but my father. Because he was the reason 'Boney' even wanted revenge. But I needed to forgive and forget, if I wanted to get on with my life.

My new life with Edward. I smiled at the thought.

I pulled away, brushing off my tears with my palm.

"Thank you, dad," I said honestly. He didn't know how happy he'd just made me by giving his approval. I probably would've gone with Edward anyway, but it was nice to know that he accepted my decision.

He touched my cheek, "Anything for you, darling." I smiled, before going over to my uncles. I knew that without Marcus and Caius, he would've been a lot more reluctant about this whole thing. I hugged Uncle Caius first, who said lightly, "Have fun. You deserve to be free and happy, more than anyone."

I thanked him, before I went over to Uncle Marcus, hugging him tightly, and whispering, "Thank you for convincing him to let Edward and I to be together."

He simply smiled softly. It brightened up his ghostly, long face, if only a little, "I only speak the truth. What I see between you two is a stronger bond than I've ever seen between anyone else. I'm glad you've found your mate."

I grinned, sighing.

"Thank you," I said one last time to all three of them, before going back to Edward who held me in the best hug yet. I wrapped my hands around his back, while his went to my waist. We had tried to keep the PDA to a minimum, but we were so absolutely overjoyed. This was the least we could do right now.

My father and uncles only had smiling faces when we pulled away, and I was pleased that they were all genuinely happy for me.

* * *

The Cullens had all gone back to Forks, but Edward being the amazing boyfriend he was, stayed back with me to help with the packing. We had just taped up the last box, and I admired my strapped down room. I had decided to leave all of the furniture here, but all of my personal belongings were being sent to Forks.

I was just standing there, reminiscing all of the memories I had in my room: me jumping on the bed and dancing crazily with my mom when I had won a singing competition at twelve; freaking out with Jace when he had forgotten to do a midterm project, and frantically helping him paraphrase my information. Good times.

I was going to miss Italy a lot, and I was especially going to miss my family in the Volturi, but I couldn't wait to start my new life with the Cullens in Forks.

I was broken out of my reverie when I felt someone's familiar arms wrap around my waist as he leaned his chin on my shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" I decided to just show him how I was feeling.

I wrapped my shield around Edward and felt his shoulders tense slightly, before his eyes closed and he relaxed, hearing my thoughts. I replayed every memory I had here, the happy ones, the sad ones, the annoyed ones. I remembered everything. Lastly, I thought about how excited I was to be with him, to let go of Volterra. Then, I snapped my shield back around myself.

He opened his eyes, looking unfocused, "That was…wow." Then, before I could respond to his amazed comment, he turned me around, and crashed his lips onto mine.

His head was bent down as mine was tilted up, and his hands lightly cupped my face, brushing them lightly with his thumb.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, moving my body closer to his. He smiled, licking my bottom lip. I knew just what he wanted, as I opened my mouth, allowing him to explore. I couldn't help but smile as his tongue came into contact with mine. I memorized the sweet taste of him, wanting nothing more than to show him how much I truly loved him. He sighed against me, in pleasure, and just like that, I knew that he knew.

I tightened my grasp on him, making him move more eagerly against my lips. I moved mine in sync, just as his hands slipped down to my hips, and mine swept up his chest to his neck.

Unfortunately, like all of them, our intimate moment had to come to an end. Jace boisterously called out, "Stop sucking face. We've gotta get going!"

I blushed as Edward and I pulled apart, and he lightly stroked my cheek, a sweet smile on his face. "I'll never get tired of seeing your blush," he whispered. I laughed lightly, "Trust me, you'll get tired of it one day. I certainly have."

Edward just shook his head, pulling me towards the door, and holding the last two boxes of my belongings in one hand, while using the other hand to guide me.

I could've sworn I heard him mutter under his breath, "I could never tire of you," which just made me blush again, smiling. He had all the right words to make my ego boost.

* * *

I had said my last goodbyes to everyone in the castle the night before. They had thrown me a surprise 'going-away' party, which made me extremely happy. I'd definitely miss all of the craziness that went on in this castle.

I didn't forget to say goodbye to my dad and uncles one last time before leaving with Jace and Edward. Jace was dropping us off to the airport, and then he was going back to Volterra. As much as he was going to miss me, he couldn't leave Italy. Especially when he had his girlfriend, Lainey, there. Plus, he had decided to be responsible for once and help run my mom's stores along with the managers.

So, he was moving on with his life, just like I was moving on with mine.

He pulled me in for a Jace bear hug, and I smiled squeezing him as tight as I could. He just chuckled, "Don't forget to call, and visit whenever you can. I'll miss you, sis."

"I'll miss you too," I smiled at him. Edward and Jace shared a bro hug, before he let us go catch our flights.

* * *

Edward and I settled comfortably into our seats, and as the plane took off, I took one last look at Italy, embracing the new prospect of Forks. It wouldn't be the same. I knew that Italy would always be the place I grew up in, but I had a feeling Forks would be much better.

I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder as he rubbed my back soothingly.

"I love you, Edward," I sighed, just as I started to doze off.

"I love you too, Bella. Sweet dreams," Edward replied, kissing my forehead lightly.

* * *

We were currently on our way to the Cullen manor, driving in Edward's silver Volvo. I was basically bouncing in my seat. A very Alice-like thing to do. That thought made me even more excited because I was going to see the rest of the Cullens in a few minutes.

They were like a second family to me, so you could imagine why I was so anxious to see them. Edward was just shaking his head, chuckling at my behavior. I could see through his calm façade though, he was extremely pleased that I was excited to stay at his home.

I was glad when the plane had finally landed. Even though the flight had been quite nice, there was a certain flight attendant who I desperately wanted fired.

Edward and I had been cuddling for most of the flight, you know, the usual. It made me smile just thinking about the way his arms had been wrapped around my torso. But then this flight attendant came around, and I got really possessive. I blushed just thinking about what I had done.

No matter how much I leaned into Edward, the flight attendant still shamelessly flirted with him. So in one fluid motion, I grabbed Edward's chin and surprised him by kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Edward had chuckled at me, still recovering from that heated make-out session, making the stewardess roll her eyes and walk away. What can I say? He was my man.

"You're sexy when you're jealous," Edward had whispered into my ear. I just rolled my eyes, pretending his words had no effect on me, which was a total lie. Butterflies had risen up in my stomach, and my heart skipped a beat.

We had driven from Port Angeles to Forks, and kept driving even after we were out of the city range. Soon, we were driving through the woods on a narrow looking road. If it were anyone else driving, I would've jumped out of the car assuming that I was about to get murdered.

But this was Edward, so I just stayed put, and admired the view. It was completely different than Italy. Everything was lush and green. Trees surrounded us everywhere, and just as I was getting really entranced by our surroundings, I saw the rooftop of a beautiful house peeking through the trees.

Edward smiled as I leaned up for a closer look, and I was blown away by the magnificent building I saw standing atop a broad hill. It was very modern-looking, with windows everywhere possible. I loved the openness of the house, thinking that it must've been a drastic change for the Cullens coming to Italy. There were virtually no windows because the castle was underground.

Just as we pulled up, the entire Cullen family bounded towards us to greet us.

I hugged Esme and Carlisle first, thanking them for opening up their home to me. They simply shook their heads, stating that I was already part of the family, so it was no issue. My heart warmed at the fact that they thought of me as being part of their family. The feeling was certainly mutual.

Alice and Emmett both gave me hugs that almost winded me, blabbering about how awesome it was going to be with me staying at their house - our house, as Esme corrected me.

Jasper and Rosalie were the opposite of their mates. They hugged me gently, and smiled saying that they were excited to have a new addition to the family. It was really an amazing welcome party.

Soon enough, I was taking a tour of the house, inspecting the wooden furniture, the paintings and sculptures. I already loved it there. But before I could continue walking around, Alice tugged my hand, dragging me up to see my newly-finished room. It was right next to Edward's, and I gasped when I took my first step inside. Everything looked absolutely exquisite.

A long bookshelf lined part of the left side of my room, while a metal desk and black leather chair with my iMac was set up next to it. The front of the room had a huge window, showing a view of the woods of Forks.

A king-sized bed was to my right with a white and purple duvet, while my walls were painted a deep purple. A walk in closet stood next to what I later found out was the bathroom door. All in all, it felt like mine. I embraced Alice, and Rosalie, and finally Esme. "Thank you so much. This is just more than I ever wished for. You guys are so amazing," I sighed, looking around my room once again, before turning to them.

They all had soft, beaming smiles planted on their faces. "We're so glad you love your room. There's no need to thank us. We just wanted you to feel as at home as much as you possibly could," Esme hugged me once more, before leaving. Rosalie and Alice grinned, jumping on the bed along with me. We talked for a little bit, and they explained how boring school usually is. Aren't all schools. I laughed when Alice told me how much funner things were going to be with me attending Forks High.

We were eventually interrupted from our conversation when Edward knocked lightly on the door. The girls giggled before leaving to give us some alone time. I blushed, walking up to him and pulling him down for a deep kiss.

"You're too much for me," I whispered, referring to the fact that he'd basically done all of this for me; put all of this into action. I couldn't believe he wanted me just as much as I wanted him: so much so that he didn't want to leave me in Italy.

Edward breathed, his butterscotch eyes melting me with complete and utter love, "Bella, please look in the mirror for once. You're too modest."

All I could manage to do in reply was pull him in for another chaste kiss. I loved him more than I'd ever loved anything, anyone. He was the other part of me that I couldn't ever let go of. I was terrified and elated at that thought. I sighed against his lips, making him deepen it further. He was all I ever wanted, needed. With him, I wouldn't want anything-anyone-else.

* * *

**I know this sounds like an epilogue, but it's NOT! I PROMISE that there are at least 6-7 more chapters to come. So please stay with me :D**

**When I first uploaded this, I ended it when Bella and Edward said 'I love you' to each other on the plane. Aren't you glad I felt nice and decided to add some more? Sorry about that whole debacle, though. Some of you were wondering why you couldn't review, and it was because I deleted the chapter, then re-posted it. **

**Should be fine now :) lol, next chapter will be all about Bella's first day at Forks High. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**You know what to do, please leave me a review :) ooooh, that rhymes. But yeah, I love your feedback! I really am stumped as to why some of you love my story so much, but I'm not gonna complain. Love you! **

**Xoxo, **

**LoveACullen**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for all of the alerts/ favorites. They keep me going, just as much as the reviews. **

**Thank you to**_**: lizclaire'dot'ec **_**- that was the most flawless review I've ever received, so thanks for making me smile! - **_**Jupitergirl25, ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest), Olivia (Guest), Blue-Eyed-Mutant, Bebeyeah, sasaway, Dizzy167, ROB MARRY MEXOX (Guest) – **_**I happen to love long reviews…Your review was very sweet, thank you!**_** - tonisparkz, chewybrownies7, CoffeeCrazy, thelionismine, **_**and**_** Fullofpassion09**_**, for reviewing :)**

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**On with the story…. Bella's first day in Forks. Ooooo, exciting! Not really… but it'll get there eventually. Hopefully. Thanks for staying with me.**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _**  
**

Chapter 16

Bella

I had woken up two hours prior to the time that the Cullens usually left for school, so we were all lounging around the living room, chatting. I was sitting comfortably with my back pressed against Edward's chest, and his arms wrapped securely around my waist.

Carlisle had already gone to work at the general hospital in Forks where he was a physician.

It was only after about an hour that we heard someone in the kitchen, and noticed that Esme was missing. Then we smelt something flour-y and sweet being made: Pancakes.

"Is she cooking?" I asked, eyes widening. The only person who ate human food in this house was me, so you could imagine my skepticism and flattery at Esme's actions.

Emmett burst out laughing, "Holy crap, I think she is!" We all got up and raced to the scene. Esme had an apron on and was currently flipping a chocolate chip pancake.

"Oh my gosh, Esme, you really didn't have to," my jaw was dropped. Sure, people had cooked for me before, but I felt awful that she felt the need to feed me. I felt like I was being pampered. After all, I was already imposing on the Cullens by staying in their home, and now they were cooking for me.

Esme looked up from her neat work station, "Oh no, dear. Please don't be so bashful. You're honestly doing me a favor, because I finally have an excuse to use the kitchen." She smiled sweetly at me, and I relaxed slightly at her words.

"At least, let me help you," I offered, coming around to assist her. Esme sighed, shaking her head at me, but she realized that I wasn't going to let her do all the work. So, my job ended up being to finish mixing the small amount of batter. After all, this was just food for one. I wouldn't eat more than three pancakes, if so many.

Then, while she was busy pouring out the pancake mix onto the pan, I took the time to put all of the ingredients back into their respective places. Then I washed up the batter bowl, and made sure everything was in order again. I didn't miss Edward's gaping while I was finishing up with the cleaning.

"What?" I asked, blushing, looking directly at Edward. His eyes were focused solely on me, while Emmett was still laughing at Esme, and Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper were carrying on their own conversation at the kitchen table.

I looked down at myself to see if anything had accidentally spilled on me. I even wiped my face a little, but I was still tidy from before. I did feel a little self-conscious though, because I still hadn't changed out of my sweats which I used as pajamas.

Edward's smile just widened at my actions before he shook his head, "Nothing."

"No, tell me," I whined, pouting. I wanted to know what was so amusing to him.

Edward chuckled, coming around to pull me towards him. Then, he spoke low enough so that only I could hear him, "I just think you look really, really hot working around in the kitchen." If I wasn't red before, I was definitely red now. He exaggerated the "really's" in a way that made me want to just make-out with him right then and there-but I was trying to lay off the PDA around his family, so I retrained myself.

Unfortunately, my blush didn't go unnoticed by Emmett because he hollered across the room, "Hey Bells, what'd Eddie-boy tell you to make you get so bothered?" My blush just deepened further, if that was even possible. The room erupted in laughter, while I literally hid my face in my hands. I hated how much my blush gave me away sometimes.

Edward just chuckled, removing my hands from my face, before lightly giving me a peck on the lips. I knew he was holding back due to his family's presence, so I didn't deepen it as much as I wanted to. He kissed me once more, before Esme announced that the pancakes were ready. Then, being the amazing son and incredibly boyfriend he was, he took the rest of the dishes and washed them so that we wouldn't have to do any more work.

Did I mention how much I loved him?

Everyone decided to get dressed for school while I ate, so I was sitting in the kitchen while Esme organized some plates. As soon as I took my first bit, I literally had to stop myself from moaning out load, "Esme, these are delicious. Oh my gosh, how do you know how to cook so well?"

Esme laughed at my compliments, "Oh Bella, you're much too sweet. I picked up a few things over the years. I'm glad you liked breakfast…I hope you enjoy dinner as well." Then she touched my cheek with her hand.

Before I could protest to her offer to prepare dinner, she left the room going to handle an errand. I just sighed, shaking my head, deciding to let her be. She clearly enjoyed doing motherly things such as cooking, so the least I could do was just take it without complaining.

I hurried up with the rest of my food, before washing up and going to my room to get ready. I was about to walk over to my closet, but I was stopped when I saw an outfit already laid out for me. I rolled my eyes: Alice.

It was plain black, long-sleeved top paired with black skinny jeans. For shoes, nude-colored ballet flats with black bows attached were laid out. A white scarf was added to accessorize the look, while a dark brown leather jacket was put out to keep me warm.

I was pleased with the outfit and deemed it 'first day of school' worthy. Alice definitely had a great fashion sense.

I took a quick shower, jumping into my clothes and passing the brush through my hair a few times. Then, I ran the flat-iron through my dark hair before applying light make-up. A little bit of black mascara and eyeliner, along with dark pink lipstain pulled my look together.

I took a good look at myself in the mirror, before getting my black, one-shoulder Gucci schoolbag and heading downstairs. Thankfully, I wasn't the last one ready, which made me a feel a lot more relieved. Alice was still getting dressed.

My eyes roamed over Edward who looked trim as always. He donned a black Ralph Lauren t-shirt with dark blue jeans. On his feet were a pair of black Converse. Over his black T-shirt was a grey fleece coat. Winter wear really suited him.

The dreary colours made his bronze hair stand out more, along with his topaz eyes.

"You look great," he complimented me, looking me over. I smiled, "Thanks. I can't take all the credit though; Alice picked it out for me."

Edward's grin widened, "Well I'll have to remember to thank her, then." Then he bent down to give me a sweet kiss.

At first, it was gentle and chaste, but it quickly turned into something way more energetic. My will to pull away immediately crumbled when his strong arms went around my waist. Mine instantly locked around his neck, pulling him closer. Just as my tongue was about to entangle with his, a loud clap interrupted us.

"I'm so excited to get to school. You guys ready?" Alice asked, rolling on the balls of her feet and looking completely relaxed at the two of us. As if we made-out in front of her every day. Then again, she wasn't the kind of person to tease us.

I was surprised that Emmett hadn't said anything, but soon realized that he was too occupied with Rosalie. They were having a stare-fest, looking ready to attack each other. As soon as Alice spoke up, they broke away, but Emmett still kept his arm around her. I smiled: cute.

We all nodded, and headed out the front door. Usually, the Cullens could all fit comfortably in Edward's car. But because of me, we had to go in two cars since we all couldn't fit in his Volvo. I grimaced, once again feeling like I was burdening the whole family by my being here. Edward picked up on that and put his hands on my shoulders, "Stop, Bella." He was referring to my constant thoughts of how I was making life difficult for the Cullens. I just sighed.

"Remember, I was the one who asked you to come live with us. I don't regret it, at all. I love the fact that you're just a room away from me and that you're here with me, instead of in Italy… I love the fact that I can call you mine. But most of all, I love you," Edward finished, his eyes burning into my own, rendering me speechless, and making my worries vanish.

I had to remind myself to breathe due to the intensity of his stare-full of nothing but complete adoration.

"No, you stop," I shook my head at him, looking directly into his butterscotch eyes. Edward's eyebrows wrinkled, signaling his confusion.

I smiled, before expanding on my words, "Stop making me love you even more than I already do." The grin that appeared on Edward's face after my words was completely priceless.

I kissed him lightly, conveying that what he said had meant the world to me. Then, he took his hand in mine and led me to his car. Emmett had taken his Jeep Wrangler and driven himself, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper to school. So that left Edward and me.

He opened the passenger side door for me, before closing it gently and coming around to the driver's side. Then he took my hand in his, like if it was second nature to do that – which I guess it was – before speeding off to Forks High.

I hadn't initially been nervous to go to a new school, but now that I was nearing the building, my anxiety was starting to kick in. But then I brushed it off, realizing I had nothing to worry about. I already had a group of friends to hang out with, and schoolwork wasn't a hassle.

Edward squeezed my hand in his as he parked up in the lot. I took the time to survey the parking lot which was relatively full. It suddenly struck me how much different the Cullens and I were to these humans. They didn't have fancy cars or clothes, which made them turn their heads in our direction as soon as we pulled up.

I wondered how they would react when they saw the new addition to the Cullen family. My answer came when Edward smiled at me before stepping out. Before I could reach for the handle, my door was being opened and Edward was offering his hand to me. I grinned, taking it and stepping out.

A collective gasp went around the parking lot as soon as I came out, and I didn't miss the looks of hatred and envy being sent my way from the entire female population. I didn't want to even look at the males; for fear that they would be staring hungrily at me: fresh meat and all that.

Edward pulled me to his side protectively, ignoring all of the looks being sent our way before walking up to meet his siblings.

I bit my lip, "So…" they all laughed at my nervousness before informing me that we had to go to the office to get my class schedule and everything. I silently cheered at the newfound information, glad to get away from all the unnecessary attention.

The cover story was: I was Rosalie and Jasper's cousin from Italy who was staying with the Cullen family for the rest of high school. This was due to the fact that my father had a job where he was constantly travelling and Esme thought that I needed to have a parental figure in my life. So I moved. For my cover story, I was supposed to be related to Rosalie and Jasper, but I didn't have any connection to Edward. So thankfully, I could hold his hand without humans thinking that we were incestuous.

We walked into the brightly lit office and saw an elderly red-headed woman organizing some files on her desk. Rosalie coughed, making the woman – who I later found out was named Mrs. Cope – raise her head. She jumped in surprise at the sight of us all staring at her, and it took her a few moments before she could form a coherent sentence. I resisted my urge to laugh, knowing that I would act the same way if I was fully human and saw a gorgeous group of teenagers in the same room as me.

I figured that I should do the talking, since I was going to be the newbie, "Hi, my name is Isabella Volturi. I'm the new student." Mrs. Cope stared at me for a few seconds before something clicked in her mind. "Oh! Right," she flushed, going to the filing cabinet.

"Yes, I remember Dr. Cullen calling about you. Here's your schedule, and you need to get each of these slips signed by your teachers by the end of the day," I nodded in understanding, thanking her for her help.

We walked back outside, and each of the Cullens took turns comparing my schedule with theirs. In the end, I noted that I had two classes with Alice, one with Emmett and Rosalie, and three with Edward. I didn't have any with Jasper because he, Emmett and Rosalie were all seniors. The only reason I even had a class with Rosalie and Emmett was because it was Gym which was mixed with both juniors and seniors.

I only had one class, Calculus, without the Cullens, so I was happy that in all the rest I would have someone to talk to.

Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper went off to their classes while Edward and Alice walked to Building B where we all had English together. I ended up sitting in a seat between Alice and Edward, after I got my slip signed by the English teacher, Mr. Jones.

It was just an introduction class outlining what we would be doing for the semester. Alice, Edward, and I ended up having a conversation with each other, low enough so that we were the only ones that could hear. A few times, I caught myself giggling, and quickly shut up before Mr. Jones sent me a glare for disrupting the lesson.

Edward kept smiling at me while Alice and I talked about the new Givenchy purse that had just come out this season. I could tell he was happy that we were bonding. I sighed.

It was almost unbearable having an aisle between us, and I wanted so badly to just ram my desk into his. No physical contact was killing me, but I just repressed my craving and continued on with my conversation with Alice.

* * *

It was finally lunch, and I was walking with Edward and Alice to the cafeteria. Edward had walked me to all of my classes to make sure I reached there alright, and I had settled for kissing him on the cheek each time. I felt like if I did more, someone would attack me. Girls here were not taking Edward's relationship status lightly.

Edward walked up in line, paid for and carried my lunch along with his. I smiled up at him, once again thinking about how lucky I was to have a wonderful guy like him as my boyfriends.

Approaching our lunch table, I stifled my giggle at the fact that the Cullens bought food that they would never eat. It was funny seeing their secret looks of disgust towards the pizza on their trays. As soon as I sat down, Emmett started, "So Bells, how has your day been so far? Anyone give you trouble?" He ended with a protective look on his face.

I giggled, "It's been fine. I had basically all of my morning classes with Alice and Edward, so I wasn't ever alone. Well except for calculus, but I met this really nice girl… Angela, I think. So, no, I didn't have any problems. Why?" My tone turned suspicious at the end. I felt like they were keeping something from me.

Edward's hand around me tightened, and he glared at Emmett who just laughed. Edward clearly wasn't happy with Emmett's thoughts.

"The girls here have a special place in their hearts for dear Edward. He's always been single, so he's always had a group of admirers here in school. The thing is, he never once showed interest in any of them, so they assumed no one was good enough for him. But now they're all extremely pissed off because he's found someone and it isn't one of them," Emmett explained. It wasn't anything I hadn't figured out on my own.

"Oh, yeah, I kinda got that," I nodded, taking a bite of my pepperoni pizza. The Cullens all gave me baffled looks, "And you're not the least bit uncomfortable?" Jasper spoke up, incredulous at my emotions.

"I mean, no, not really. It's nothing new. I've always been hated by a lot of girls. I've just learned to shrug it off. I'm not gonna take it personally, because I can definitely see where those girls are coming from," I looked up at Edward, who just shook his head, ignoring my compliments.

I started twirling my hair with my fingers, and I felt Edward tense up next to me. I turned toward him, but his eyes were focused on a dorky-looking Asian boy with acne all over his face. The boy had been looking at me, but immediately shrunk away as soon as he saw Edward's death glare.

I raised my eyebrows at Edward putting my hand on his cheek. It seemed to relax him a little, but he looked strained, "It's so hard blocking out their…thoughts." I didn't like the way Edward had said the word 'thoughts' or the stare he gave me. I gulped, getting the picture. Girls hating me didn't faze me, but guys thinking about me like that definitely did. I guessed that Edward wasn't the only one with admirers now.

"I'm sorry you have to hear them," I said, removing my hand from his face to take my hand in his.

Emmett spoke up, and I almost jumped, having temporarily forgotten that his siblings were sitting at the same table. Looking into Edward's deep topaz orbs did that to me sometimes.

"Yeah man, I mean I see the looks the boys give Rose, but at least I don't have to hear what they're thinking about her. Must be hard not being able to beat the crap out of them," Emmett gave Edward a 'tough luck' look.

I realized Jasper had it just as bad as Edward because he felt what the guys were feeling. Which meant extreme lust.

I really didn't understand why guys felt that way about me; I wasn't even that pretty. Sure, my vampiric genes had blessed me generously, but there were models way more gorgeous than me. I guess it was just the excitement of having someone new who was unattainable that attracted the boys at school.

Edward stayed stiff for the rest of lunch and only got up when the bell rang. The Cullens dumped their lunches, and Edward waited for me to gather my stuff before he led me to Biology. I locked my fingers with his instinctively, and he looked down, smiling crookedly at me. I smiled back just as brightly, before we entered Biology. Mr. Banner singed my slip, before telling me to have a seat.

I tried not to be too thrilled at the fact that biology involved labs, which meant lab partners, which meant two people sharing a table. Obviously, I sat next to Edward. I scooted closer to him, and he chuckled at me, but nevertheless scooted his chair as well. Our legs were touching now, and I tried to focus on the lesson and not on our close proximity to each other.

The teacher explained that we were going to be doing a simple introduction lab involving the cell cycle. Lab equipment was passed around and Edward let me take a look at the first slide.

"Prophase," I identified. Edward nodded, writing it down on the sheet of paper. I wrinkled my eyebrows, "You're not gonna check to make sure I'm right?" I wasn't used to someone just taking my answer like that without any proof. I had a brother after all, and Jace was extremely competitive, always trying to outsmart me or prove me wrong.

Edward smiled, shaking his head. I practically died when he bit his lip. "I trust you. Plus, you're super smart, it'd be a miracle for you to get something wrong," Edward confessed. I realized the flaw in my thinking; Edward wasn't just any other guy. He was something special.

I blinked, "You have way too much faith in me."

Edward looked up from the work, "Is that wrong?"

He gave me one of those intense look that sent my heart racing, "No. It's just really flattering." I admitted, looking away. He was making my heart go wild with his words, so I had to keep reminding myself to calm down. Edward was my boyfriend, yes, but it still made me weak every time he said something so sweet and was so natural about it.

We finished the lab in less than five minutes, and I looked around to see that everyone was still trying to figure out the first slide. My scoping of the room caught the attention of a baby-faced blond whose blue eyes sparked with something when they saw me. I smiled politely before turning away. It was only then that I realized Edward had gone rigid all over.

His breaths were coming out forced, and he was practically burning a hole in the paper. "Are you okay?" I asked, worried. Something was definitely wrong. I didn't like the fact that he was practically unresponsive.

"Newton is practically screaming his disgusting thoughts at me," Edward still stayed still, and without thinking about it, I put my hand on his thigh. If possible, he went even tenser when I trailed my fingers up and down his jean-covered leg. He wasn't even breathing, and his eyes had moved from the paper, to my hand, to me.

"Please don't let them bother you, because it all really comes down to this: I love you, and the only person I'll ever want is you," I squeezed his thigh, leaving my hand there and filling all of my words with complete honesty. Edward put his hand over mine, looking into my eyes.

"I love you too," he said, squeezing my hand. "Thank you for the distraction," Edward said, looking extremely appreciate, and sheepish. What I wanted to say was, _"No, thank _you _for letting me be able to finally have a reason to do that." _

What I ended up saying was, "Any time." What? I didn't want him too creeped out by my actions.

* * *

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, and I tried not to laugh too hard remembering Gym. Coach Clapp had decided to give us a free period seeing as it was the first day, and Emmett, Rosalie and I ended up discussing an idea for a prank to pull on the rest of the family. I made sure to shield Emmett and Rosalie while we discussed the plans in case Edward was perusing through their thoughts and found out.

It was a brilliant plan, and I was definitely going to set it in motion tonight. This was going to be fun. Cue evil laugh.

* * *

**I was too lazy to proofread the entire chapter, so don't hesitate to tell me if something was wrong. **

**Soooo...how was it?**

**I actually have no ideas for the awesome prank that Emmett, Rosalie, and Bella are going to pull… ideas? I will give you all the credit!**

**This was a super long chapter, but I really wanted to fit Bella's entire school day into one chapter, so I hope it turned out alright. It wasn't as romantic or fluff-filled as I pictured, but it was the first day of school! Wanted to keep things PG until later on when Bella gets settled. **

**Please leave me a review, because I love reading all of them. Especially the nice ones… ;)I really do appreciate all of your support on my story. It still makes me freak out when I see a bunch of notifications on my story in my inbox. So thank you!  
**

**Xoxo, **

**LoveACullen **


	17. Chapter 17

**It never fails to surprise me how many of you review my story and add it to your favorites and alerts. It** **means SO much 3 **

**Thank you to: **_**BabyA (Guest), tayloras, thelionismine, teambellaedward, Dizzy167, Bebeyeah, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, lalabooboo, Bree (Guest), ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest), twilighter105, ellaryne, **__**o.0 rosa o.0**__**,**_** and 1 **_**Guest**_**, for reviewing. **

**I'm terribly sorry for the wait on this chapter. I've just been completely blank on ideas for it, and I was super busy this week. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! I've decided to go with Edward's point of view for this one. I don't know why, but I just like writing his feelings more because he's just adorable haha :)**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 17

Edward

As I was driving Bella home from school, I noticed that she looked a bit preoccupied with her thoughts. It was quite cute actually, the way her nose crinkled and her brow furrowed in thought. I wanted so badly to know what she was thinking about, but I didn't want to abuse my privilege of occasionally being let into her mind, so I kept my mouth shut.

I turned my head to look at her expression and couldn't help but smile a little before turning back to the road.

"So how was your first day?" it wasn't that I needed to fill the silence with conversation - because it wasn't awkward for us not to talk - I just genuinely wanted to know how she found Forks High.

My question seemed to snap her out of her thoughts and she didn't need a minute to think about her answer, "It was great, lots of friendly people. And the work's not a problem to me. How was yours?"

I chuckled at her politeness, glancing at her to see that she really did look eager to find out my answer. I sighed, "It was the best 'first day of school' of my life." I was being wholly honest to her, and I wondered what her reply to that would be. I didn't have to wait too long to find out.

"Oh. I wonder what caused it to be that great," her tone feigned thoughtfulness, as I tried to hide my cheeky smile.

"A certain someone," I answered vaguely. I loved the playful banter that Bella and I shared from time to time.

She continued, not skipping a beat, "Should I be jealous?" I peeked at her, and saw that her eyebrows were raised at me. I laughed, "No, not at all."

"And why not?" Bella asked, surprise colouring her face.

I grinned crookedly, "Because the person's you." Bella did an exaggerated gasp... as if she didn't know.

"Really? That's just, such a shocker. I mean, wow... I'm honoured," I saw her put her hand over her heart from my peripheral vision just as we neared the house. Then I looked at her, keeping a poker face on for a solid ten seconds, before she and I simultaneously burst out laughing.

"Are we going crazy, Edward?" Bella giggled, amusement clear in her eyes.

I laughed lightly, "Nah, this is normal compared to some people." Then, I pulled her in for a light kiss, letting my lips linger for a few seconds before pulling away. Bella pouted, making me grin.

"You're such a tease," Bella rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. Did I mention how adorable she looked when she was annoyed? I chuckled before proceeding to get out the car, racing to open her door for her before she got a chance to. I saw her lips twitch, and I knew that she hadn't seriously been angry at me.

I helped her out of the Volvo, before I pulled her into my chest, making her gasp in surprise. You can guess what happened next. I held my arms tightly around her small waist as her soft hands locked around my neck. Our lips moved frantically against one another until Bella needed to come up for air.

Her cheeks were flushed, making me smile unconsciously. I laughed, kissing both of her cheeks, before pulling her inside to meet up with the rest of my family.

She looked a little dazed from what had just happened, and I cheered mentally at my victory. I liked the reaction I got from her when I decided to be spontaneous.

Upon entering the house, the atmosphere felt different. I noted that none of my family members were in sight. I found that a little odd, and so did Bella from the expression on her face.

"Hey, we're home," I called out. We heard a squeak from upstairs, and immediately I knew that something was wrong. I heard my family's thoughts coming from upstairs, but they were all a jumbled mess. I zoomed upstairs to the source of the sound but I wasn't prepared for what we saw. Rosalie and Emmett's room was trashed, and I mean..._trashed. _

Clothes were strewn everywhere, furniture was toppled over. The whole room was a total mess. "Oh my gosh, what happened?" Bella's eyes were wide as she scanned the room. The whole family, minus Carlisle and Esme were in here. We later found out that Esme had gone shopping somewhere in Port Angeles.

Rosalie stuttered out, "I-I don't know. We came home to find the room completely trashed." Confusion was written across her face as she tried to figure out who could've possibly done this.

Emmett intervened, scratching his head, "I'm just kind of creeped out, 'cause I checked the front and back doors, and there was no forced entry. The house was locked as it always is, when we arrived."

How was that possible? If someone broke in, there would be a sign. For example, the door would be opened, or the locks would be damaged. Most importantly, we would've been able to catch a scent of the intruder. However, all I was getting was everyone else's scents. I voiced my opinions, to have everyone nod their heads in agreement.

"So, what do you propose happened?... Do you think we should call Carlisle?" Jasper looked around at us. Alice looked frustrated, probably because she hadn't seen this coming, so Jasper was trying to calm her down.

I was holding Bella protectively in my arms, and she noticed, giving me a small smile before turning to look at everyone else.

"Are you missing anything?" Bella asked Rosalie, who shook her head 'no', before her eyes widened. "Actually yes, I am. I just ordered an antique jar on Ebay. It was just over on that table," she motioned to a dressing table in the corner of the room, before finishing, "but it's not there anymore."

Bella coughed, and I immediately turned to look at her, "Um, I don't mean to be weird or anything... but Ebay? Really? That jar could've belonged to anyone. It might've even been stolen. Maybe the owner just wanted it back."

Rosalie sighed, "Yeah, I know. But I just really liked it... Plus, as we were saying, there's no inkling that someone even broke in. Besides this mess." She waved her hands around the bedroom.

"So back to the question: what the hell happened?" Jasper shook his head at the mess. I pondered it for a moment, but I wasn't coming up with any answer to his question.

Alice spoke up, cautiously, "Maybe it wasn't something living that did this." She had spoken what we were all secretly thinking, but it didn't keep me from being completely baffled.

"C'mon Alice. Be real. There are no such things as ghosts," I waved off her suggestion going back to my muddled thoughts, trying to come up with a plausible answer.

Bella interrupted my train of thought, "You're one to talk, Edward. There are also no such things as vampires." Touché. She got me there, and she grinned at her victory.

Emmett spoke, crinkling his eyebrows, "I hate to say it, but it kind of makes sense. Ghosts can enter any room they want to without leaving a trace. The vase probably belonged to a dead person... maybe even carried their ashes. Why would it trash the room though?"

"It was probably pissed at you for taking the vase away, and now it wants to come for revenge," Alice spoke, her voice laced with horror. She was watching way too much Paranormal Activity.

Jasper sent waves of calm throughout the room sensing the conflicting emotions coming from each person. I was still a little in disbelief though. A ghost doing this just didn't seem like a sane explanation.

We weren't left to dwell on our thoughts for too long however, because in a moment, the windows flew open letting a wind whistle throughout the room. It sent a chill down my spine and made Bella jump in my hold. This was way too crazy for my liking. I could've sworn I even heard my name being called out.

"Okay, let's just get out of this room," Jasper was like me in the way that he didn't believe in any of this mumbo-jumbo, but I could tell that he was getting a little shaken up.

Just as we all turned to leave the room, the door slammed shut, along with the windows. If I wasn't freaked out before, I was definitely freaked out now. I felt the air in the room constrict as my body, along with everyone else's went flying into the centre of the room.

The room was dead silent as we all stared at each other in a bundle on the floor. I held onto Bella tighter, and I could've sworn I saw her lip twitch, before her face morphed into a terrified expression.

"Um, whoever you are. Can you please leave us alone? It was just an accident that we came into possession of your vase. We're all really sorry for inconveniencing you. We didn't mean to take it," Alice looked up at the ceiling as if the invisible creature was floating in the air, still looking scared as hell.

Emmett let out a loud snort, before he boisterously laughed. He was trying to control his laughter as Rosalie smacked his head, glaring at him. A small smile was planted on her face though. I didn't understand why they were getting so amused at the situation. Someone on a different plain was practically terrorizing us.

Then, my sense kicked in, and I shook my head. I couldn't believe m stupidity. "You guys did this?" I accused, staring pointedly at Emmett and Rosalie. It made sense - they could've easily cut school for a few minutes to mess up their room before coming back without making it seem like they had skipped.

Then I looked down at Bella, who was looking anywhere but at me. "Did you happen to have anything to do with the whole wind-blowing thing?" I cocked an eyebrow at her, already knowing the answer.

"Guilty," Bella blushed, cracking a smile along with Emmett and Rosalie. Alice got up, stomping her foot, "That was a brilliant prank, but so not funny." Bella laughed, and even though I wanted to make it seem like I was mad at her for pulling such a stunt, a smile broke out across my face. I couldn't help it. Seeing her happy unconsciously made me happy.

Jasper was smiling, along with me. I had to give them props, "That was a pretty good prank, I have to admit. You guys really had me going."

Emmett guffawed, " 'Pretty good prank'. Dude, if you guys were human, you would've pissed your pants by now." Bella and Rosalie burst into a fit of giggles. I even let a few chuckles escape from my mouth. I was glad that Bella was bonding with my family members, even if I was humiliated in the process.

When we calmed down, Bella sighed, "I'm sorry we scared you guys, but honestly, it was just hilarious seeing your faces. Alice just made introducing the 'ghost' thing so much easier. The prank just, all in all, went better than I ever imagined. So thank you. This house now feels like home." All of us raised our eyebrows at Bella, but Emmett answered immediately, "A house is not a home unless a prank has been pulled. Duh."

I chuckled at that, shaking my head. Jasper and Alice gave me a look. I knew exactly what it meant. We were so going to get them back for this, but for now, we'd just let them be.

* * *

Everyone ended up helping Emmett and Rosalie clean up their room, just as Esme arrived home. She and Bella chatted briefly about her first day of school before I stole Bella away wanting to spend some alone time with her.

We walked into my bedroom and Bella admired the setting and décor, browsing through my wide novel and CD collection. I wrapped my arms around her waist, leaning my chin on her shoulder. She smiled, turning her head to look at me.

"I'm really surprised you're not mad at me," she voiced her thoughts, making my brows furrow.

"For what?" I questioned, sincerely confused as to why I could ever be mad at my gorgeous girlfriend.

"...The prank..." Bella spoke slowly, surprised at my oblivion. Was she serious? I completely understood that she was just having fun with my siblings. Plus, it wasn't like I wasn't eventually going to get her back for it.

I grinned, "Bella, it's impossible for me to ever be mad at you. Even pretending is a feat."

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. It was hard to keep my eyes from drifting to her soft, plump lips.

"I really love you, Edward. Always," she fully turned in my hold, wrapping her arms around my neck. I rested my forehead against hers, smiling softly as I stared into her pools of chocolate brown. Her eyes always held so many deep emotions that I had a hard time breaking out of the trance she put me in.

She was like a magnet, always pulling me in. The thing that made her even more beautiful was the fact that she didn't know the large effect she had on me.

"I really love you too, Bella. I promise that I'll never stop," and with that, our lips collided with each other as I relaxed. I gripped her waist, pulling her body as close to mine as I could, moving my lips slowly but passionately against hers. I tried not to think too hard about how perfectly our bodies molded against each other. But I couldn't help it; being with her, things felt right.

I wanted her to be mine forever. I was hers, fully and completely.

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**I know, I know. That was so boring :( I'm soooo sorry that I made you guys wait for a chapter that wasn't even amazing. Things have just been really hectic. I've been feeling really sick, so I probably won't get Chapter 18 posted until next week :| **

**School will be starting back for me on Monday, so that'll mean longer waits for updates. But I promise to try to update as often as I can. Still running through options of where this story is headed, but stay with me :)**

**I love reviews... so drop me one, maybe? :D**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks for all the alerts/favorites! I can't believe the response I've been getting from this story…. Means so much to me. **

**Thank you to: **_**Natasha 8228, **_**o**_**.0 rosa o.0, CoffeeCrazy, thelionismine, Dizzy167, ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest), Blue-Eyed-Mutant, Holidai, tayloras, lalabooboo,**_** and 1**_** Guest**_**, for reviewing. **

**You all don't even KNOW how sorry I am for the late update. I was working in my mom's store for the entire week, and then school's starting back tomorrow, so I've just been organizing books and all that. **

**Anyway, I wanted to give you guys an update before school starts, and I take way longer to update. Back to Bella's point of view. Sorry for the constant switching up, it's just that sometimes I feel to write Bella, and then others, Edward. **

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Chapter 18

Bella

My family – I had gotten into the habit of calling them that lately – and I fell into a routine after a few weeks of my arrival in Forks. I woke up a few hours before school, had breakfast courtesy of Esme, went to school with Edward, got home and chatted with the Cullen family. Carlisle always had the most interesting stories and experiences to share, and all in all, living with the Cullens was nothing short of life-altering.

My seventeenth birthday in mid-September had been one of the best experiences of my life. Jace and I had Skype'd as he couldn't come down to visit with all the festivities he was planning, and I had spent the entire day with Edward and his family. He given me the most beautiful silver bracelet with a pink, crystal, heart-shaped charm on it.

Alice had thrown a huge party and invited the entire school population. At first I had been a little disappointed because I had just wanted to spend the day with my family. But later on in the night, we'd all ended up having a lot of fun. We'd really 'danced the night away' that day.

It was a few weeks later now, and we were currently in school, and I was chewing peacefully on a sandwich I had bought at the cafeteria. The majority of the staring from the high school population had ceased, except for the occasional glances to our table. The Cullens and I were talking at a level in which only vampires could hear, when suddenly, footsteps were heard approaching our table.

That came as a shock to me, as I had noticed how people tended to stay away from the Cullens. I leaned further into Edward's grip on my waist, not even having to look up to see who it was, because his putrid scent gave him away. Mike Newton. I mentally rolled my eyes, feeling Edward's body tense, taking on a protective posture next to me. I bit my lip. The possessive side of Edward was the hottest thing I've ever witnessed.

Mike had been constantly pestering me about going out with him, and just couldn't seem to grasp the fact that I was taken. Then again, Edward and I weren't the PDA, broadcast-our-relationship type in school, so I could see why people had trouble figuring out whether we were together or not.

I heard a cough, and looked up at Mike who was putting up a confident front, but his shaking hands gave away his nervousness.

"So um, Bella. I know you wanna eat your lunch and stuff, but I never get to talk to you in class, so I just wanted to ask you now before someone else did. Will you go to the Winter Formal with me?" Mike implored, looking at me like a lost puppy.

The reason he never got to talk to me in class was because I constantly _avoided_ him. I was pretty obvious about it too, so I just didn't comprehend how he hadn't gotten the picture yet.

I pursed my lips, "Um, isn't it girls' choice, though?" The Cullens silently chuckled at my correction, while Edward stayed protective, eyes dark and narrowed at Mike. I squeezed his hand, and he gave me a slight smile.

Mike laughed nervously, and with my vampire hearing, I could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest. I almost felt bad for putting him on the spot like that. Almost.

"Yeah, well. You looked too shy to ask me, so I thought I'd do you a favor," Mike shrugged casually. My jaw was hanging open at that point. What the…? The nerve of this guy was unbelievable.

Edward interrupted, not being able to restrain himself, "Well although I'm sure Bella appreciates your sentiment, she's already going with someone." I cracked a smile, looking up at Edward. We hadn't discussed the Winter Formal, but at the same time, we didn't need to. It was already understood that we were going to be each other's dates for every occasion, for the rest of our lives. The thought sent pleasant chills down my spine.

Mike's awkwardness increased tenfold, looking between Edward and me, "Oh. So you two are a thing?"

I closed my eyes, sighing and shaking my head at how oblivious this guy was.

Emmett surprised all of us by practically shouting it across the lunchroom, "Yes, Bella and Edward are a couple. People who can't see that are either blind or in denial." Our table laughed at Emmett's emphasis, while I turned beet red at the attention of the school population. Everyone was gawking at us, mostly with envy, but some had knowing smiles.

Edward planted a kiss on my cheek, giving Mike a pointed look, which he got right away, practically racing back to his lunch table.

I had to keep myself from going crazy and full-on making out with Edward. Every time his lips touched any part of my body, a tingling sensation ran through my veins.

Although we were a private couple, not kissing him the way I wanted – on the lips – (at least until we got home) was tantalizing. I know, pathetic.

We were still at the stage in our relationship where we craved physical contact from each other. Going to some of my classes without him was a feat for me, and I could tell that it was the same for Edward because of the way he held on to either my waist or hand every time he saw me after classes.

_At least we had biology now_, I thought, hearing the loud ringing of the bell. Edward and I said goodbye to our family, making our way to biology.

"So that was… fun," I crinkled my nose at my choice of word to describe the whole Mike Newton debacle. Edward chuckled, kissing my nose. His topaz eyes were twinkling, and I had to keep myself from drowning in his irises. It made my knees go weak every time I saw the love and passion filled within them. It sounded completely cheesy, but it was so true.

"Yeah, I guess it was. I'm a little mad at Emmett for telling everyone about us, though. I was hoping to give Newton a piece of my mind," Edward had that angry look in his eyes again, probably thinking about what he would've told Mike. I didn't exactly blame him for being so pissed off at the guy, because God alone knew what his thoughts about me were like.

"You're really protective of me," I stated, smiling a little at Edward.

He snapped back into reality, raising his eyebrows "Is that bad?" I was getting one of those feelings where I wanted to reach out and tousle his already messy bronze hair.

We had reached the biology lab and as I entered the classroom, I said my response so low that it came out almost seductive, "No, it's kinda sexy."

I took my seat, waiting until Edward pulled out his chair and sat next to me. He did, and I couldn't help but giggle at the awestruck expression on his face.

It took him a while to break out of his reverie, and when he did, I could feel his eyes on me for the rest of the class. I couldn't exactly pay attention to the rest of the lesson when I was being distracted by his staring, but at least I knew the work. I gathered my books, making sure I had written down the homework, and Edward took my bag automatically from my hands. I smiled at his gentlemanliness.

He dropped me off at gym, greeting Emmett and Rose before giving me a goodbye kiss on the cheek.

"What's up with him?" Emmett hadn't missed the look on Edward's face as he left. Almost as if he didn't want to leave. I guess I'd only made the whole 'no-kissing-in-school' thing a lot harder for him.

I explained everything to Emmett and Rosalie as we walked up to the centre of the room where everyone was gathered around Coach Clapp.

"Ohhhh. Yeah, well no offense to you both, but that's the dumbest rule ever," Emmett rolled his eyes.

Rosalie agreed, "Look, you guys are just gonna keep bottling that up and then one day you'll explode. You gotta just do what feels right. How do you think Emmett and I are so calm at school? We were practically attached to each other when we first realized that we were mates. We kissed every and anywhere, not really caring about what other people thought. I get that you both are trying to control yourselves, but it's too early in the relationship to do that." I nodded, understanding 100%.

"I mean, because even at home, you guys do the same thing. You guys make-out, like once a day. Don't be embarrassed, because believe it or not, we all know what you both are feeling. Keeping your feelings in isn't really healthy, especially not for Jasper," Rosalie finished, picking up a tennis racquet as Emmett and I did the same. I cringed, remembering that Jasper was an empath, immediately feeling apologetic for not thinking about how he must've been taking this arrangement.

I decided I'd talk to Edward about this when I saw him next.

"I get it," I nodded to Emmett and Rosalie who both smiled warmly at me.

It was good to have people to talk to about these kinds of things.

* * *

We walked out of gym, meeting Edward at the doorway. Then we separated into the cars.

"How was gym?" he asked as we got seated into the car.

I searched for the right word to answer his question as he pulled out of the parking lot, "Enlightening."

Edward cocked an eyebrow, glancing at me, "How so?"

I cleared my throat, thinking of the right way to broach the subject without being awkward. "Um, well, uh," I stammered, making Edward full-on look at me.

"What's wrong, love?" genuine worry was etched across his face, and my heart warmed at his care for me.

"Nothing. It's just, during P.E. the topic of 'us' came up. And Rosalie gave me some advice," I spoke cautiously, waiting for his reaction. He stayed neutral, but I could tell that he was interested in what exactly Rose had told me.

"We're kind of keeping things in," I was being vague, and I knew it. But this was just a little weird for me to talk about. I didn't want Edward getting all closed-off about this whole thing.

"What do you mean?" Edward creased his eyebrows together. I knew that he was probably misinterpreting what I said.

"Not verbally, because I think we're comfortable with each other in that sense. Um, I just mean, at school and when we're with your family, we're kind of…" I drifted off, thinking of the right word.

"Private," Edward supplied, and I nodded.

I sighed, afraid that things were going to get uncomfortable after this, "I agree with her that it's not really good what we're doing. And that's controlling our…desires, especially when we only got together a month ago." Edward nodded, and I immediately relaxed.

He exhaled, "I thought you were reluctant to be public about our relationship."

I nodded, "I am, a little. But it's getting really hard to restrain myself sometimes."

I saw Edward's lip twitch before it broke out into a grin. "Restrain yourself from doing what?" he asked, even though we both knew what my answer would be. By this time, we had arrived to the Cullen manor and Edward turned his body to face me.

I smiled too, before closing the space between us. I sighed against his soft, smooth lips, feeling like someone who'd just gotten a taste of water after a drought. Edward didn't waste time, pulling me close to him. I somehow ended up climbing across my seat and onto his lap. I heard him groan as my legs straddled his hips.

My hands were locked in his silky hair, pulling him closer to me, while his hands went from resting comfortably on my waist, to gripping my hips and bringing me closer to him. It wasn't long before Edward's tongue grazed my bottom lip, and I granted permission instantly. His tongue wrestled with mine, and I unintentionally moaned when I got a taste of his sweet mouth.

That sent him off the edge, and I felt him physically stopping himself from doing more. We broke apart, and my jaw hung open. That was…intense.

I now knew what Rosalie meant by us exploding.

Edward breathed, "Wow." His eyes were wide, as I took deep breaths. My hands were still around his neck, and his were secure around my waist.

We both looked at each other at the same time, and smiled. I traced my fingers across Edward's prominent jaw, watching as his eyes slid shut peacefully. Adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, so I was slowly calming myself down.

"I love you, Edward," I meant it, more than he would ever know. He was my world, and without him, I didn't know what I would do.

His eyes opened at once, before he kissed my lips so gently, I felt I could cry.

"I love you too, Bella."

Our moment of peace was interrupted abruptly by Emmett's booming voice from inside the house, "You two gonna come inside, or make-out some more?"

I bit my lip, giggling, before I threw back, "Gonna make-out some more." Edward grinned, while the house erupted in laughter. Yeah, I was definitely going to enjoy the whole 'going public' thing.

And with that, Edward's lips found mine. My life was turning out to be so much more than perfect. I couldn't ask for a better mate, because I knew that no one would ever make my heart soar like it did when I was with him. He was my everything, and I knew that it would always stay that way.

* * *

**Another short chapter, but awww. Wasn't it sweet? :) **

**So I had a pretty bad today, but writing always cheers me up. I hope this chapter made you guys smile. I think I've finally decided on what's gonna go down in this story, so I'm feeling pretty satisfied with myself. **

**There will be a few more cute chapters like this, before some interesting things happen. Stay tuned!**

**I appreciate every single one of you. You don't know how much your reviews brighten up my day. Please leave me some feedback :D**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	19. Chapter 19

**The first week of school wasn't too awful. Hoping it'll continue that way. **

**Thank you to: **_**tayloras, ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest),**__**EbonyWings1, sasaway, thelionismine, Dizzy167, silverhawk88, Fullofpassion09, Bebeyeah, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, Marie Cullen 12, Hannah (Guest), ROB MARRY ME XOX (Guest), Team Jacob (Guest), MikeNewtonSucks (Guest)**_**, and 5 **_**Guests **_**for reviewing the last chapter. **

**I wish I could reply to some of the guest reviews, they're so amazing! If you have a FanFiction account, make sure to sign in so that I can reply to you :D**

**Wanted to give a special shoutout to **_**silverhawk88**_** for giving me an amazing idea (for Bella to shield Mike so that Edward won't have to hear his pervy thoughts anymore). Thanks so much for that! Also, thanks to **_**ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest)**_** for pushing me to update today. **

**Anyway, on with the story. Bella's point of view for this one.**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 19

Bella

I was lying down on my bed snuggled up next to Edward. I smiled, loving the fact that all my mornings began like this: I'd fall asleep with Edward beside me, and wake up with him smiling gently and brushing his fingers against my face. I sighed as I felt his hand stroke my back lightly. It was a week before my father's wedding, and I wasn't exactly the happiest camper - even though I was trying to be. Edward had seen through my charade, and was doing his best to try and relax me.

"Time to get ready?" I looked up at Edward, waiting for him to confirm my query. It was Friday, the last day of school before the weekend, so I was just waiting around until it was time to get dressed. School so far had been treating me pretty well. I had made one or two acquaintances, Angela and Ben, so in the one class I didn't have with any of the Cullens, I'd talk to them.

Edward sighed, "Yeah, I think so." He hugged me close to him one last time, moving his face so close to mine that our noses were touching. We both grinned, and he gave me a light peck on the lips before releasing me, and going off to his room to get changed. I bit my lip, admiring his retreating figure; he looked amazing even from behind.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and going off to the bathroom. _Enough drooling over your boyfriend,_ I mentally chided myself.

I showered quickly, before getting dressed and applying a light amount of make-up onto my face. I bit back a smile remembering how Edward had told that I didn't need to wear makeup to be the most gorgeous girl he'd seen. I still enjoyed wearing a hint of make-up though.

Hey, I was a girl.

I donned a pair of navy blue skinny jeans, a purple camisole with a beaded neckline, and a white cardigan over it. Lastly, I slipped on a pair of grey, velvet ankle boots. I passed the curling iron quickly through my hair, just making my mahogany locks look wavier than usual. Then I grabbed my black one-shoulder bag and hurried downstairs.

Edward was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs and laced our fingers together as soon we came in contact with each other. I smiled, thinking about how adorable his affection was. The littlest actions made my heart flutter. He always knew just how to put a smile on my face.

Edward's siblings were going on a 'hiking trip' today – by hiking trip, I obviously meant that they were going hunting – so it was just going to be me and Edward at school. I still hadn't gotten used to the fact that Edward always opened my door for me, but I was blushing less, at least.

The drive to school was comfortable, filled only with the soft sound of classical music in the background. When nothing important was on our minds, Edward and I didn't feel the need to talk. It just ruined to peacefulness of everything. It wasn't awkward that way; it just felt right.

Most of the time, I would sneak a peek at Edward's face while he drove. He always looked so concentrated: dark eyebrows creased together, jaw set, one hand on the wheel – the other in my palm. He'd pretend not to notice my constant staring, but sometimes, his lips would twitch and he would glance at me.

We arrived to Forks High in less than five minutes, and Edward pulled me out of his car, firmly gripping my hand in his. Then he did something so unexpected, I couldn't help but widen my eyes. He pushed me up against the passenger door of his Volvo, with hands on either sides of my torso. One scan around the parking lot told me that most of the students had gone off to class. _Whew_, I mentally wiped my forehead.

My eyes went back to meet Edward's own golden orbs. They were twinkling as his lips inched closer to mine. He was teasing me; taking his merry time to kiss me. I shook my head, giggling, before bringing my hand to the back of his neck. Then I pulled his head to mine, melting as his lips connected with my own.

Our lips meshed together as I gripped his neck and he tightened his hold on my waist. When we were together like this, it was second nature to me to just zone out on everything besides Edward. I bit his lip – something completely new – and felt Edward tense for a second before opening his mouth. I smiled and felt him instantly smile against my lips before tangling his tongue with mine.

As I previously said, when I was with Edward, I naturally zoned out on everything else. So when an annoying cough that could only belong to a certain blonde interrupted us, I almost gasped. Edward looked about ready to punch Mike, while I squeezed his hand, trying to relax him.

"What?" Edward exhaled, staring daggers at Mike, who was trying to look unaffected. I think Edward had about reached his breaking point with Mike and was trying really hard not to do something he'd regret.

Mike ignored Edward, looking straight at me, "So Bella, I was wondering if you and I could study for the Calculus test together?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, settling for an exasperated sigh.

"Mike, can you just…not do this? It's frankly grating on my nerves having to constantly tell you 'no'. I don't _know _you. Plus, Edward and I do all of our studying together," I spoke honestly, trying to get the point across to Mike.

I had started shielding Mike, so Edward didn't have to constantly hear his traumatizing thoughts. It was on and off though, because shielding even one person was quite draining. I guessed that now would be a good time to shield him before his thoughts went to the gutter. I really didn't like the fact that Edward had to deal with his perverted fantasies.

"Leave my girlfriend alone, Michael. Before you regret it," Edward spoke through clenched teeth before pulling me to our first class. "What was that all about?" I whispered low enough for Edward to hear.

"Before you shielded him, the scumbug was thinking about how our studying sessions went. It wasn't saintly… at all. Then he was picturing himself with you instead of me. Thankfully, that's when the connection broke," Edward shook his head.

I pulled him to the side near the lockers as students started to file into their classes.

I placed my hands on his chest, "You know that I love you, right? And that I would _never_ go for a guy like Mike? "

Edward snapped out of his thoughts of torturing Mike. The cheekiest, most radiant smile replaced the dark look on his face. It actually made my head spin.

"Of course... It's just hard tuning him out. Even when I can't hear his thoughts, I still imagine what he's thinking about you. I just hate that pest," Edward narrowed his eyes, but nevertheless placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"Even when Emmett makes it clear to the entire school population that you're taken, I still have to protect you from stalkers. The things I have to do because I'm with you," he shook his head at the end, feigning exhaustion.

I laughed, "But you love me, so." I shrugged, watching as his expression turned serious.

"More than anything, Bella," he said softly, bringing me in for another kiss. One that made my heart melt. I frowned as he pulled away.

"We're gonna be late for class, love," Edward chuckled at my expression. I sighed, seeing his point, before letting him lead me to our class.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by in a blur. It was really weird not having Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper at the lunch table with us. But in a way, it was also pretty nice. Edward and I focused solely on each other throughout lunch, with his arm casually draped around my waist. We talked so much, and laughed at all of the random conversations going on in the cafeteria. Perks of being vampires – well, part vampire, in my case.

We even heard a conversation between Lauren and Jessica about how much more they wanted Edward, now that he was taken. They were willing to throw me off a bridge and try to make it inconspicuous. I was amused, while Edward was beyond pissed off. It's not like if they'd ever be able to even touch me. I was heavily protected by my mate, and even if he somehow wasn't around, I could take care of myself.

The bell rang and after that, Biology and Gym flew by. Suddenly I found myself on the couch in Edward's room. His siblings hadn't returned yet, so we were just lounging around the house. It was fun having the house to ourselves – we could do whatever we wanted without being taunted.

Our position was quite interesting if you ask me. Edward was lying with his legs stretched along the couch, while his upper body was supported by the arm of the black leather couch. I was straddling his hips as one of his hands was placed on my waist, while the other was playing with my hair. We were joined by our lips, locked in a heated make-out session. Both of my hands were around Edward's neck, with my thumbs lightly caressing his jaw.

I felt his tongue slip through my mouth, coming in contact with my own. I remembered the first time we kissed like this; it was the first time I ever French kissed a guy, and I couldn't imagine doing something like this with anyone else.

Our lips moved frantically against each other, and I never wanted this moment to stop. It felt so good being locked in a position like this with Edward. His hold on me tightened when I released a slight moan. It was seriously uncontrollable.

His lips moved roughly against mine, and I followed suit, trying to get as much of him as I could before I ran out of air. We broke away gasping. Edward's bronze hair was more messed up than usual because of the constant mussing up I did to it in a make-out session we had earlier.

He looked disoriented, and I bet I did too. My face was flushed, and I was panting for more air. It didn't help when after a while, Edward moved my hair to one side. Then he started moving his lips against the exposed area of my neck. I bit my lip to keep in the threatening moan, but a small whimper managed to come out.

I felt Edward smile against my neck, continuing more feverishly - going from my neck to my collarbone. The way he kissed that entire area was indescribable. I bet my entire neck was flaming red. Then when he was finished peppering my neck with kisses, he moved up, reaching my lips once again.

That's when the process repeated. Except when broke away the next time, he did something really different. It was meant to be playful when he bit my neck, but it basically sent me crazy. I had to forcibly remove myself from Edward before I attacked him. That would not be good. No, not good at all.

I probably looked constipated while untangling myself from him. It was so hard not jumping him at that moment.

He chuckled at my behavior, laughing even harder when I got off the couch and strode to my room. Of course Edward followed me, because that's the kind of guy he was.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. You make me do things that I wouldn't normally do," Edward smiled, staring into my eyes.

I smiled softly. Of course he would apologize. For what? I had no idea.

"I'm not mad at you, Edward. Frankly, I enjoyed…what you just did. But um, I need to breathe for a second," I exhaled.

Edward looked beyond smug at my words, pulling my waist to him, "You enjoyed that?" His eyes were still staring into mine, making me mesmerized. He always did that when he wanted to get something out of me.

"Thoroughly," I breathed, dazed from the emotions swirling around in his butterscotch eyes.

He seemed to be satisfied with my answer, as I saw his eyes glance to my neck. Oh dear Lord. He wasn't going to-

My train of thought stopped went Edward bent his head, kissing my lips softly and softly. Just before we could introduce tongue into the equation, he pulled away, smiling mischievously at me before dipping his head lower. I felt glued to the floor as he brushed away my dark brown hair, kissing my neck gently, before biting it again.

I closed my eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out. He did it again.

This time, I grabbed his t-shirt, about to push him away if necessary. "Edward, please stop," I gasped out.

When he looked back at me, he wore a look I'd never seen on his face before. It was a mixture of intense lust, and restraint. We stared at each other for a while, never breaking eye-contact.

"You don't know, but when you do stuff like that: I go insane," Edward said softly.

I raised my eyebrows, curious, "Do stuff like what?" I was genuinely oblivious.

Edward looked hesitant for a moment, before he decided to just go ahead and say it, "Moan. Or gasp out my name. I don't want to do something that we'll regret, but when you do that, you make me want to. So bad."

Wow. Didn't see that one coming.

I gulped, feeling self-conscious and nervous all of a sudden. I had never felt this way when I was with him, but I'd never really expected him to admit something like that. I mean, I knew we both thought it, but neither of us actually had the courage to outright say it.

"We should talk," I looked up at him. He nodded briefly before pulling me to my room. Well this was going to be interesting.

* * *

**Oh my gosh, that was so intense.I had no ideas for this chapter... just kind of went with the flow.  
**

**Lol, I always feel so uncomfortable writing heated stuff like that, because I'm not experienced at all in any way. But I felt like it fit the chapter, and people have been asking about when Bella and Edward would have the talk. So yeah! **

**Next chapter's gonna be awesome :) Thought this chapter was cute with just Bella and Edward though. Aw!**

**Sorry for the late update, but you know, school. Next update probably won't be until next week either :( please don't hate meee! It might come a little earlier, if I don't have a lot of work to crossed :)  
**

**Leave me some reviews, pleaaase… I'm really interested in what you guys thought about this chapter. Too much? Or was it cool?**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you for all of the alerts/ favorites :)**

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**Thank you to: **_**tayloras, dr . meow**__**1234**__**, Joda-Eragonsson, Natasha8228, thelionismine,ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest), tonisparkz, xxDREAM-BUCKETxx, Bebeyeah, Dizzy167, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, MiaPol18 (Guest)**_**, and 1**_** Guest**_** for your lovely reviews. **

**I switched one of my subjects today, so I have a week's worth of work to catch up on :( so just please excuse my late update!**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _

Chapter 20

Bella

We both sat down on the edge of my bed. Edward sat a few inches away from me, hands to himself, just like mine. I itched to just close the distance between us and continue what I had just stopped, but I mentally told myself 'no'.

I sighed. We needed to have this conversation and talk things through. Even though I really just wanted to go with the flow, I needed to have this talk with Edward. It was a main priority. We couldn't simply continue what we were doing without knowing where this relationship was headed, and when it was heading that way.

I smiled, realizing that Edward and I had been doing a lot of talking lately. I mean, it was only a week ago that we had discussed going completely public. It was pleasant though – talking things through, I mean - because I hated when there was an awkward tension between us. Like there was now.

"So..." I started, giving Edward an opportunity to say whatever he wanted to say. He was deep in thought, and I restrained myself from brushing my hand along his cheek to snap him out of his reverie. That always managed to do the trick.

Edward turned his head to me, looking down, "You want to wait."

It was a statement on his part, but I, nevertheless, nodded in confirmation.

"Me too," Edward smiled. Relieved at his answer, but not quite yet satisfied, I pondered asking him the most important question. I played with my fingers nervously, and Edward noticed, about to ask me what else was bothering me. I stopped him.

"How long do you want to wait?" I said it slowly and cautiously, waiting for his response. My stomach churned as I waited. I didn't have a clue why. Maybe because I was scared to disappoint him if he didn't have the same beliefs as me.

"Until we're married," Edward blurted out automatically. Then his eyes widened at the realization of what he'd said.

It was unconscious, but my entire body went still. I was frozen in my spot. Inside, I was ecstatic and disbelieving that he had given me the perfect answer, because I too, didn't want to have sex before we were married. On the outside, however, I was in complete shock that he had actually said something like "until we're married".

It was such a bold thing to say, and it gave me butterflies hearing that Edward wanted to get married.

Edward completely misunderstood my expression, "Oh God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

My lips twitched as I interrupted him, "No, I'm really happy that you're being so honest with me. It's fine. You just caught me off guard. But I feel the same way. I want to wait until then as well." I blushed, looking away. This whole conversation was making me flustered.

Edward smiled crookedly, passing his fingers through his hair. He was making my heartbeat quicken with all of those attractive actions.

I cleared my throat, trying my best to act nonchalant, but failing miserably. It was all due to the gigantic smile plastered across my face. "So you see yourself getting married to me?" I was still looking down, trying to hide my overjoyed expression.

Edward's fingers slipped under my chin, bringing my eyes up to meet his. His whole face brightened up, and I melted, unable to keep myself from staring deeply into his love-filled eyes.

"You're the only one I'd want to spend the rest of my life with. Of course I want to marry you. When we're both ready," Edward's smile grew, as I raised my eyebrows in an awestruck expression.

Could I marry him now… or? The fact that he was so casual about some of the most swoon-worthy things he said was just… Ugh, I couldn't even explain it. He never tried to intentionally 'woo' me, but he always did just that when he spoke what he felt. It made me love him even more just knowing how he thought about me.

Edward's topaz eyes smoldered mine, before his hand gently moved up to cup my cheek. I leaned into his touch, a bright smile on my face.

"I'm happy you feel the same way as me," I said softly, watching as he moved closer to me, immediately knowing what was coming.

Edward grinned, showing his perfectly straight white teeth, before his lips finally met mine. I sighed, eyes shut, arms wound tightly around his neck. He pulled me closer to him until I was sitting comfortably on his lap. Our lips were synchronized as Edward grasped my waist, pulling my body closer to his chest. My fingers tangled in his hair, before they moved down to his cheeks where they rested. Edward's lips were perfectly molded with mine, and I felt him sigh against me as our tongues battled with each other.

As soon as we broke away, Edward feverishly planted kisses on my neck, chuckling when I froze up. He was brushing his lips along my collarbone when a knock at the door interrupted us.

Edward and I both looked up, surprised. I guess his siblings had come back from their hunting trip. I raised my eyebrows at Edward, who simply shrugged at me trying to look neutral – but I could tell he was disappointed that we had to stop our little session.

I giggled when he didn't remove his hands from my waist, gently prying them off myself. Then, I jumped off his lap - much to his displeasure. I laughed seeing his frown, pecking his lips lightly before walking off to answer the door.

I knew for a fact that it wasn't Emmett at the door, because he would've just barged right in, unannounced. I had kind of gotten used to his actions though. He just wanted to have fun, and meant no harm. Even though it could be awkward sometimes, I learned to just brush it off.

"Hey Rose. What's up?" I greeted as I opened the door. She returned an equally wide smile.

"Nothing much. Alice and I were just wondering if you wanted to come with us to do some dress shopping for your dad's wedding," Rosalie explained, waiting politely for an answer.

My dress had already been picked out by Sulpicia, as I was one of the bridesmaids. It was actually a beautiful, deep purple flowing dress. I loved it, especially because it fit my body perfectly.

I appreciated the fact that Alice and Rosalie were including me so much in their family. They made me feel so welcome, and treated me like a sister. I was definitely going to enjoy helping them choose their dresses.

I glanced at Edward for a millisecond, but I wasn't quick enough for Rosalie whose smile widened into a grin.

"Oh my gosh, Bella. You're like the perfect girlfriend, honestly. I would never clear something like this with Emmett," I blushed at her words, realizing that I had indeed been looking for Edward's permission to go. I felt bad just ditching him after our talk, even if it was to hang out with his family.

Edward chuckled, and in a second, he was at my side. "Have fun," he bent down, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. I smiled at the tingly sensation coursing through my veins from that one simple action.

I turned back to Rosalie as Edward took my hand in his, rubbing circles into my palm with his thumb.

"I guess that's a 'yes'," I grinned at Rosalie who shook her head at us, beaming. We all went downstairs, me branching off with the girls, while Edward went off with the boys. Esme was working - helping design the interior of a recently married couple's home - while Carlisle was at the hospital. They weren't home a lot, but when they were, I always felt cared for and was treated like one of their children.

I said a quick goodbye to Edward, blushing when he said 'I love you' to me, right in front of his family. I replied, still red, with an 'I love you too' before quickly turning away. Everyone found my embarrassment hilarious, while I just hid my face behind my hair. I felt Edward kiss my cheek lightly before letting me go.

He was beyond adorable, right?

I left the house along with the girls, hopping into Rosalie's red BMW.

As soon as we hit the freeway, both Alice and Rosalie jumpstarted the girl talk.

"So what'd you guys decide?" Alice bounced in the passenger seat as Rosalie raced down the road, controlling the car. I wrinkled my eyebrows, "Huh?"

Alice giggled at my oblivion, explaining, "I got a vision of you and Edward talking in your room. What about?"

"Oh," I replied, cleared up about what she was referring to. But I couldn't stop the feeling of discomfort from washing over me. As I had said, Rosalie and Alice made me feel like I was their sister, but at the same time, I was a really private person. I wanted to tell them, but it was just a little weird. I mean Edward was like their brother.

Rosalie immediately picked up on my uneasiness, "We don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Bella. You don't have to tell us. It's just that we want you to feel more comfortable around us, and you know, be cool with telling us anything."

I instantly relaxed hearing what Rosalie had to say. I felt terrible for being hesitant in telling them about Edward's and my conversation, because I knew that if the situation were to be reversed, they would both be happy to share their conversations.

"I'm sorry. Ugh, I really don't mean to give you guys the cold shoulder or anything. It's just a little uncomfortable talking about things like this," I clarified, earning understanding smiles from both Alice and Rosalie.

I took a deep breath before telling the girls about what had happened between Edward and me. They nodded at all the right times, and gave me their input.

"It's really amazing that you both have such a strong bond, and you've decided to wait. I mean, you both have a lot of morals, so that's really good. At least you won't have any regrets," I nodded at Alice's comment. I really loved the fact that Rose and Alice were being so supportive about my decision. I just really needed to suck up my awkwardness sometimes, because hearing someone else's opinion helped a lot.

The conversations got lighter after that when Rosalie informed Alice and me that Emmett was being given a time-out after scratching one of Rosalie's cars. She had apparently told him to make sure not to play any games in the garage, but he had still gone and played hockey, scraping her red BMW - with the hockey puck - in the process. I laughed, _Only Emmett. _

* * *

Dress shopping was always fun. We went from designer store to designer store in Seattle. Yes, Seattle. We had ended up driving all the way up there after seeing how limited the dress collection was in Port Angeles.

At first, Rosalie and Alice weren't seeing anything they liked, and were feeling borderline hopeless. They had just reached the point where they were deciding to just shop online, but then I caught sight of a bridal store. Upon closer inspection, I saw the perfect two dresses that went perfectly with each of the girls.

Rosalie's was magenta, one-strap dress that hugged her curves and reached just above her knees. Alice's was just as pretty; it was a dark blue strapless dress that hugged her up to her waist before it poofed out, reaching her knees.

They both thanked me profusely for having such a good eye, while I blushed, brushing off my shoulders. I was having a good time with them, happy that I had decided to go out and help them pick out dresses for the occasion.

At least I was having a good time until two disgusting bimbos spotted me and decided to ruin my day.

It was times like these when I wished all stupid, jealous people could just disappear off the face of the planet. I mean, it'd just be a much nicer place without them.

I sighed as they plastered the fakest, cheesiest smiles on their faces. "Hey, _Bella_," Lauren sneered, her nasally voice making me want to punch something. Maybe her face. Or Jessica's.

_Calm down, Bella. They haven't done or said anything to you to make you hate them,_ I thought to myself. I just had a bad feeling about the two of them. The way they stared at me whenever I was with Edward.

At first, I had laughed it off, just deciding their glares to me had been of jealousy that I had stolen their crush. I figured it'd go away… but it didn't. If possible, they got even angrier every day seeing me with him. They were really far gone. I mean, they both had boyfriends for crying out loud.

"Hi," I replied curtly, looking around for Rose and Alice. They had decided on the dresses I had chosen, but were just looking around the other stores to make sure their decisions were final.

Why had I gone to the bathroom? I should've just held it and stayed close to them.

"So you've been hanging around Edward a lot lately," Lauren mused, looking casually at her manicured nails. Her little sidekick, Jessica, was hanging behind her, ready to jump into the conversation if need be. Why did I have to deal with a bunch of morons? What had I ever done to deserve this?

I sighed, wanted so badly to just reply sarcastically, "No, I've been hanging out with his twin brother, Austin, actually."

"What do you want, Lauren?" I cut right to the chase. Beating around the bush just wasn't my cup of tea.

Her grey eyes narrowed into slits, "Look. I don't know who you think you are, like stealing Edward away from me and like, flaunting him around. You need to stop, because like, you don't who you're messing with."

So, I was basically dying to rip her fake, blond extensions out right about then.

I was not going to let my temper get the best of me though. I rolled my eyes, "I don't know who _you _think you are, threatening me to stay away from _my boyfriend._ You have this _sick_ fantasy in your mind that Edward 'likes' you. Newsflash: he doesn't even know you exist. So why don't you just run along and find someone else to obsess over. In the meantime: _Stay away from my boyfriend_. Okay?" I sugarcoated the 'okay?' smiling sweetly at them, before walking around Jessica to meet Rosalie and Alice.

They were looking curiously at the bimbos, while I just shrugged, playing it cool. I wasn't going to let them bother me. At least I thought I wasn't.

That was before Jessica muttered under her breath, "Oh my gosh, what a bitch. I don't get what Edward sees in her."

Rosalie's eyebrows shot up to her to her hairline – metaphorically speaking, of course. Then, before I knew it, she was stalking up to Jessica and Lauren, her intimidating aura radiating all around her. Alice looked like a pissed-off pixie, about ready to attack Jessica if Rosalie couldn't handle it. But she could.

"Listen, slut: Don't you _ever _talk about Bella like that if you know what's good for you. Edward is lucky to have her, and don't you _dare _say otherwise. Got it, _bitch?"_ Rosalie seethed, eyes darkening in anger. Jessica paled, recoiling back, and nodding fervently.

Rosalie then turned on her heel, walking back to Alice and me. "Ready to go?" Rose asked casually, as if she hadn't just made two girls wish they'd never been born.

I scoffed, mouth agape at Rosalie, "That was _brilliant,_ Rose. My gosh, _I_ was scared, and I wasn't even the one you were talking to." Alice was grinning at her sister, pleased at her actions.

Rosalie smiled, "Bella, you're practically my sister. Anyone who disses you has to deal with me," she pointed to herself, brushing it off like it was nothing.

I just shook my head, smiling brightly, "Thank you. It means a lot that you guys care about me so much." I spoke honestly, looking from Rosalie to Alice. They both waved it off.

"We're family. That's what families do," Alice chimed.

I was so blessed to have not only an amazing mate, but an equally amazing family as well. I didn't deserve any of it, but I was so thankful for all of them. I wasn't ever going to take them for granted.

* * *

**Yay! Go confident Bella and mean Rosalie :D **

**How sweet…. :)**

**A bunch of you have been begging for Lauren and Jessica, so I decided to be nice and put them into this chapter. I also hope I cleared up some questions you guys had by writing this chapter :) I don't curse, but I felt like I had to put in the b-word lol. **

**Sorry for the long wait. School's been hectic. Just telling you guys in advance that my next update might be later than a week, because my brother's coming down to visit for my sister's birthday later on this week.  
**

**So I'm really sorry :( **

**But, how was the chapter?! Please leave me a review. I take all suggestions into consideration, so if there's something you want to happen, please let me know :D **

**Thanks for your amazing support!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	21. Chapter 21

**I am soooo sorry for the wait! I've just been incredibly busy with school this past week :( **

**Hopefully this chapter turns out alright. Feeling a little out of the writing mode, but I decided to give you guys another chapter. I'm also thinking of changing up one of the chapters, so I'll make sure and tell you when I do.**

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who alerted/favorited my story. **

**Thank you thank you thank you to: **_**lynettecullen, TeamAlecVolturiForever, Bebeyeah, Lovetwilight1234, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, Matthias Stormcrow **_**(THANK YOU for the 20 reviews you sent me :O), **_**ThoseGoldenEyes (Guest), tayloras, dr . meow1234, tonisparkz, Fullofpassion09, ellaryne, thelionismine, Hannah (Guest), MyZebraWillEatYou, Holidai, and **_**1**_** Guest, **_**for reviewing. **

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _**  
**

Chapter 21

Bella

"Ready?" Edward asked, offering his hand to me. We had just arrived to Volterra and Edward had carefully parked us into the crammed garage in the Volturi castle. It looked like a lot of the wedding guests had already arrived. I took a deep breath, looking up at Edward. Somehow, one look into his eyes always made my worries melt away.

I nodded, taking his outstretched hand and jumping out of the car. The rest of the Cullens had arrived separately and were already waiting inside the castle, talking to Jace. He grinned as soon as he saw me, his blue-grey eyes brightening. I couldn't help but break out a wide smile of my own as he engulfed me in a bear hug.

Even though we had Skype'd almost every day, it wasn't the same as actually having him next to me. I missed my brother. As soon as he released me, he nodded at Edward giving him the one-armed bro hug, patting him on the back.

"Thanks for bringing her back in one piece," Jace nodded approvingly at Edward while I shook my head, rolling my eyes at my twin brother.

Edward only chuckled, squeezing my waist and beaming at me. I smiled up at him, before we all walked to join the rest of his family.

It felt a bit surreal to be back at the castle again. It had only been a month and a half, but it felt like so much longer. I did miss my home, but I had also gained a new one, which I loved equally. Obviously everything looked the same. The castle was still standing in all of its Gothic glory. There had been some modern additions over the years, like the kitchen – which had been built just for Jace and I – some of the bedrooms, and the pool, but the whole castle looked about the same as it had a few centuries ago.

"How's everything been?" I asked conversationally as the Cullens, Jace and I sat around the kitchen table.

Jace shrugged, "Normal, you know? It's been weird going on missions without you, but it's been alright. How's life in Forks? You guys tired of her yet?" He made a face to the Cullens like 'She's exhausting, right?'

All of the Cullens laughed, fervently shaking their heads, while I shot a death glare at Jace. He threw his head back laughing, later putting his hands up in defense, "Geez, I was just joking." Ugh, brothers. They can be terribly annoying at times, but you love them for it.

Emmett spoke up, "Nah, Bells is pretty awesome. I'm glad Eddie and her are together. Things have been loads more fun with her around."

I thanked Emmett for his kind words while Edward wrinkled his nose at the nickname of 'Eddie'. It was actually pretty hilarious and adorable how annoyed he got when we made up weird nicknames for him. I unconsciously kissed his cheek, just warmed by how cute he could be.

Edward was surprised by my action, but nevertheless smiled crookedly at me; his topaz orbs searched my brown ones, losing track of place and time. That was until Jace cleared his throat, looking from me to Edward. It wasn't one of those common 'it-is-so-awkward-watching-my-sister-with-her-boyfriend' looks. It was more of a look of admiration than anything.

Jace smiled, all traces of humor gone from his face, "Seriously, I'm happy for you both, Bella and Edward." He looked pointedly at the pair of us, before continuing, addressing the rest of the Cullens, "I'm also glad that you guys are Bella's second family. You all are really great…. So thanks for being good to my sister."

I looked around the room, seeing all of the Cullens wearing smiles on their faces that said they were clearly touched by Jace's words. I was quite blown away when everyone got up to give him a hug, including me. That's the thing about the Cullens that I loved; they were so genuine.

"It's our pleasure, dear. And don't forget that you're welcome to visit Bella at any time. We have an extra room that can be set up for you for whenever," Esme smiled, touching Jace's cheek in a motherly fashion. He grinned at her, nodding, "Of course. Thank you so much, Esme." I could tell that he appreciated her words, and everyone's affection.

I appreciated them too. I've lived with Jace for my entire life, so being separated from him was really new and difficult for both of us. However, we both always knew that something like this would happen eventually, and it was just something that we simply had to get used to. He's crazy about Lainey, and I'm madly in love with Edward. Naturally, we'd want to be with our significant others more than with each other.

Felix suddenly appeared in the room, interrupting the moment we all were sharing, coughing uncomfortably, and bowing his head. "Sorry to be a bother, but Master Aro and Madam Sulpicia would like to have a word with Jace," this news made Jace groan.

"My God. All I've been doing for the past weeks is helping Dad and Sulpicia with planning. It's so much work: which flowers go with which centerpiece, which fabric goes with the decorations… Can't they just sign the freaking papers and be done?" He pulled at the ends of his jet-black hair, clearly frustrated, and making the entire room erupt in laughter. Even Felix's lip twitched, and he rarely ever smiles.

"I can go if you want. It's the least I can do for you, as a repayment for all of the work you've done without me," I offered, deciding to at least contribute to the wedding in some way, as an act of maturity. I wasn't going to be one of those nasty step-daughters to Sulpicia, trying to break up the wedding. My father deserved to be as happy as I was.

Jace sighed in relief, "Oh my gosh, do I ever tell you how much I love you?" I laughed along with everyone else.

"Yes, but it never gets to be tiring to hear," I smiled, patting Jace's shoulder as soon as Edward released me.

I tried to ignore the empty feeling I got within me by the loss of contact with Edward. Whenever I didn't have him by my side, giving me some sort of physical contact, that feeling was always present. Then when I was with him again, I got all warm inside, feeling on top of the world. But I really needed to practice endurance, or whatever it's called. The crave I had for him was seriously not healthy. There was also the added fact in this situation that I didn't particularly wish to see my father, or his mate.

However, it helped me get my butt to my dad's room when Edward shot me one of his breathtaking crooked grins. The uneasy feeling I had in the pit of my stomach slowly dissipated, and I was slowly becoming less and less nervous to see Aro and Sulpicia.

I smiled back; Edward always made me feel like everything was going to be alright.

* * *

I took a deep breath, knocking lightly on my dad's bedroom door. I heard a soft, "Come in," immediately recognizing Sulpicia's voice. I found her seated at the desk in my dad's room - along with my father himself - leafing through a large scrapbook.

They both looked up when I entered, golden eyes widening. I guess they hadn't really expected to see me here. "Hey," I said so quietly, that I was surprised they had even heard me. My dad smiled, along with Sulpicia.

"Just the person we needed for this last task," Sulpicia grinned, beckoning me forward. Her light hair was neatly combed to the side and her face was bright with delight.

I moved towards her, standing next to my dad. She pointed to a page in the scrapbook with her pale, manicured nails, and I quickly understood what she was asking. There were two pictures; an arch adorned with white lilies -placed above an altar - and a similar looking arch with lilacs instead, above an altar.

"The lilies would be a nice choice. More formal," I nodded, pointing to the picture of the arch with white lilies. Sulpicia and my father shared a look, smiling at each other, before thanking me for my help.

There were a few other items that they wanted my opinion on, which I gladly offered, before they were satisfied and let me leave. Not before Sulpicia wrapped her arms around me, thanking me for being here. It was awkward at first, but I hugged her back, saying that I wouldn't have missed their wedding for the world.

All the while, my dad was smiling appreciatively at me. I could tell that my being nice to his future wife meant a lot to him.

When Sulpicia eventually released me, I hugged Aro as well, smiling when he patted my back and looked at me. "How has Forks been?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Amazing. I'm really loving it there," I answered honestly, keeping my thoughts centered around Forks itself, and not Edward. I knew for a fact that if my thoughts wandered to Edward, I'd blush a deep crimson. Then that would lead to my father raising his eyebrows suspiciously at me. And I _really _didn't want to go through all of that.

"Well we all miss you here, but I'm happy that you're enjoying living with the Cullens," I smiled at my dad's words, before saying goodbye to both of them and exiting the room. I sighed, relief washing over me. That hadn't been nearly as weird as I expected it to be.

* * *

I found Edward in my bedroom, and I arched an eyebrow when I saw him looking at one of the photos I'd left in Italy.

He looked up, instantly noting my presence, and I had to bite back a smile. It was the whole mate-thing, I guess. We both always knew where the other was.

"Everyone else went to the pool," he explained with his velvety voice. I walked up to him, peeking at the picture in his hand, a small smile forming on my lips. It was a picture of my mom with a baby me in her arms, while my dad was holding Jace. I was bundled up in a pink blanket, while Jace was snuggled in a blue one, and both my mom and dad were smiling adoringly down at both of us.

"We were only a few days old in that picture," I stated, feeling kind of obligated to tell him. Edward nodded, smiling, before placing it back down. "You were _extremely _cute," he grinned at me, pulling me close to him and making me raise my eyebrows.

" 'Were'?" I asked, referring to how he used past tense to describe me. So I wasn't cute anymore?

"Yup," he nodded, smiling mischievously. Oh. _That isn't offensive at all_, I thought sarcastically.

Edward spoke up once again before I could throw him back a smart remark, "You're extremely _beautiful _now." I bit my lip, hiding the sheepish smile that was threatening to break out across my face. He always had a way with words that just made me love him more and more.

"Smooth," I giggled, before reaching up to plant a deep kiss on his lips. I felt him smile against my lips before he wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled me close to him – so close that our bodies were touching - while I subconsciously wrapped my arms around his neck. Things were always really fluid between us. All of our movements around each other seemed to come as naturally as counting to ten.

Edward slowly led me backwards until we hit the black leather couch in my room. My frame was sandwiched between Edward's legs and our heads were leveled at this position. It just goes to show how much taller he was than me.

Our lips were moving rapidly in sync, and I was currently threading my hands through his soft, bronze locks. One of his hands was lightly playing with my mahogany hair, while the other was resting on my hips. I held back a sigh when I felt his tongue graze my bottom lip, not hesitating in opening my mouth for exploration.

We continued at that pace, until Edward realized that I needed some air. Darn my human needs.

We broke away, resting our foreheads against each other, our noses touching. I ran my fingers along Edward's cheek, down to his pronounced jaw line. All the while, he was looking deeply into my eyes. My breath hitched, much like it always did when he looked at me like that – with so much love, it was indescribable.

I could literally stay in this moment forever – drowning in all of the emotions that I saw in his topaz eyes. With his arms wrapped securely around me, I felt like nothing could get better.

Nothing, and no one could take him away from me. I wouldn't let that happen. Because I wanted to have moments like this forever and ever.

"I love you," I whispered, not breaking eye contact with him - afraid to ruin this moment we were sharing.

Edward's lips turned up and he reached his hand up to brush my cheek with his knuckles. He too, wasn't breaking eye-contact.

"I love you too," he said, just as softly before bringing my lips to his once more.

* * *

**A/N: So I tried to do a balance between romance and family, because I felt like Bella seeing Aro and Jace again was important to put in. And I just love Bella and Edward's private moments. **

**Really excited to start writing about the wedding!**

**Quick note to **_**Hannah (Guest)**_** who reviewed my story and gave me an idea. You don't even know, but I had literally already been planning to write an event exactly like that in the story. I guess great minds think alike :) haha! **

**Thoughts? Suggestions? Please send me some feedback. Again, I'm really sorry for the late update, and I'll try to post the next chapter by next Sunday. **

**Your reviews make me SO happy, so please leave me some :)**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	22. Chapter 22

**Yay early chapter! Got some free time to write, so I decided to start Chapter 22 :O hope you guys like it!**

**Thank you very very much for all of your wonderful reviews and story alerts. It means the world to me :') **

**Thanks to: **_**LoveTwilight1234,**__**TeamAlecVolturiForever, thelionismine,Ceeran, Fullofpassion09, dr . meow1234, pumpkinmykitty, Blue-Eyed-Mutant, MiaPol18, tayloras**_**, and 2 **_**Guest**_** for reviewing :D **

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. _**  
**

Chapter 22

Bella

The week had passed by quickly, and before I knew it, it was the day of the wedding. I was nervously fumbling with my bouquet of flowers, awaiting my turn to walk down the aisle (with one of my dad's friends who I was paired up with).

I sighed. All I really wanted at this moment was to have Edward next to me, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on my palm. That always managed to calm me down, especially at moments like these. I didn't even know why I was so anxious at the moment. I mean, I think I'd gotten over the fact that my father was now going to be with someone who wasn't my mother.

However, I just couldn't push down the feeling that something was wrong. My stomach was in a knot, and I was pretty sure that I was whiter than a sheet of paper at this point. Peter – the guy I was paired up with – looked a little worried about my health, but I quickly brushed him off, saying that I was fine. Even though I was far from it.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, fixing my hair and making sure my dress wasn't misplaced or wrinkled. Those were the only two things I was content about at this point: my dress and my hair.

My dress was a dark purple taffeta one that hugged me up to my waist where it billowed out just above my knees. It had a lace bateau neckline which looked beautiful, and went perfectly with my silver Christian Louboutin heels.

My hair looked completely natural, which went with the theme of the wedding; it was tied into a bun, with my long side bangs left stray at the side of my face.

Make-up had been pretty simple as well; black mascara and eye liner, along with a hint of silver eyeshadow and light pink lipstick.

All in all, I was pretty happy about my appearance, more so because Edward had been too. I blushed thinking about when he'd told me how gorgeous I looked.

It wasn't even the fact that he'd told me that I looked gorgeous - but _how_ he said it - that made my face turn red. His velvety voice had come out husky, sounding incredibly seductive, and I'd had to ball up my hands into fists just to prevent myself from attacking him.

See? Even thinking about Edward made me temporarily forget about the vertigo I was currently feeling. I closed my eyes, and reopened them just as it was Peter's and my turn to walk down the long white aisle.

I remembered to plaster the realistic smile on my face as I forced my feet to make the steps down the long passage. Everyone was seated, smiling pleasantly at me, and it was only when I reached near the end of the aisle, that I felt myself immediately relax. Edward was smiling encouragingly at me, his crooked grin making me grin right back.

He'd tried to tame his bronze hair for the occasion, but his efforts had been futile and he'd just ended up making it look even more like bed head... Not that I minded one bit.

I took my place next to the rest of the bridesmaids feeling my spirits rise as I saw the entire Cullen family beaming at me. They didn't know how much their support was helping me, and I appreciated their efforts so much.

My father was already waiting at the altar; black hair slicked back, making him look physically older than he actually was. His white tuxedo gave him a neat, finished look and I was actually really proud: not only because he'd pulled his look together, but at how amazing the set was looking.

We were in the ballroom in the castle, but it looked like a completely different place. Flowers were strewn everywhere; white lilies, lilacs, daisies, you name it. Chairs had been set up for the guests and I was surprised at how crowded the room was with people. Then again, my dad did have a few centuries' worth of friends, so I guess it made sense. The aisle was a long white cloth spread down the wide space between the two sets of chairs. The altar was on a slightly higher platform, so that the bridesmaids, groomsmen, bride and groom looked a little taller than the guests.

I was happy with the way everything turned out, and gave Jace a huge thumb up when he raised his eyebrows from beside my dad.

He grinned broadly, obviously proud that I liked the setting. I guess his hard work had paid off after all.

My dad glanced at me briefly, but it was a long enough time for me to give him a small smile – hopefully showing him that I didn't have any hard feeling for him for getting remarried.

He nodded, smiling back, and I found myself instantly relax. I had no reason to be antsy at this moment, because nothing bad was going to happen. I didn't know why I had been so anxious when things seemed to working out fine.

I kept chanting that mantra in my mind, but my words kept sounding sillier and sillier to me. There was still a dark cloud hanging over me and I didn't know why.

Then everything happened in slow motion. A familiar chill ran down my spine as I felt time slow down.

"I thought I killed you," a voice seethed as their hand grasped my neck. My breath hitched.

Buffy – never in a million years did I think I'd say his name ever again – gripped my neck so tightly that I felt the air rush out of me. Everyone in the room was pretty much shell-shocked at the scene that was playing out before their eyes.

How fitting - a serial murderer vampire at a wedding. I choked, prying his hands off of me, but it became useless when my arms started to feel like jelly. I guess people thought that this was just another crazy vampire who I could take care of. They didn't realize his strength.

Just when I felt like I was going to collapse from lack of oxygen, I felt Buffy's hand release my neck, as I dropped to the floor gasping for air. I looked up to see Edward slam Buffy into the tiles of the ballroom, looking livid. Buffy simply smiled sickly, before turning to face the door. My eyebrows scrunched up at his peculiar reaction, until me and everyone else looked towards the door.

Sulpicia was being dragged by her hand down the aisle by Boney who was humming the wedding march. Clearly he was in need of psychiatric help.

"You know, Aro. When I killed your last wife, it was meant to make you feel a pain that was so unbearable that you would never be able to recover from it – never let a day pass by without feeling that immense heartache. But I guess you recovered, and you see… that wasn't the plan.

He sighed deeply, before continuing, "So I'm gonna kill this one too, and hope that this will cause you a permanent pain," Boney said, still dragging Sulpicia down the aisle. The thing that made everyone gasp was the fact that she was utterly motionless – no thrashing around, nothing.

I was jolted into the past for a second, remembering the feeling of being paralyzed.

I can't describe what it feels like – to be paralyzed, I mean – because it's just something that you have to experience for yourself to understand. Here's one way of putting it: you feel like you're trapped in a box, completely restricted; it's hard to even breathe. It's frustrating because to even wiggle your fingers is impossible. You want to move them, but it's like your brain's not communicating the actions to your limbs.

Sulpicia screamed, and I guess it was around that time that everyone recovered from their momentary shock and started fighting.

I saw chairs fly across the room, furniture break; curtains were torn apart, as vampire after vampire tried to hold a combat with Buffy. His brother, Boney, dropped Sulpicia – who lay paralyzed on the floor – then proceeded to defend himself against vampires attacking him. He simply paralyzed every single one of them. You'd really think that two hundred vampires would be enough to outnumber those two, but I guess they're one of those unbeatable teams; like Jace and me.

Edward had come to my side, brushing my hair away from my face. I was shaking, like a total wimp, but I couldn't help it. So many emotions were being brought up at seeing the two of those bastards again. He wrapped his arms around me, comforting me deeply with that one simple action, and I hugged him back.

We stayed like that for a few more seconds, until I realized that I was needed. I broke away from Edward and he looked hesitant to let me go. He didn't think I'd be able to handle fighting them again, and to be honest, he was right – but I had to try… For my mom.

We both got up, me going to help Jace who was aiming fireballs at Boney (while shielding himself from Boney's touch), while Edward went to see if his family was alright. He gave me a small peck on the lips before letting me go, making me smile.

I reached Jace, who was in need of my help. Boney kept dodging all of the fireballs Jace sent his way, while using his power on anyone who tried to help Jace.

I put my hand out above the earth, commanding the ground to move. I made the marble floor split open at Boney's feet, who looked beyond surprised at what was happening. Then I made the ground move back in place and heard Boney scream out in agonizing pain as his legs displaced – I could literally see bones protruding from his pants.

I gave Jace a look, and he understood it immediately. He balled his hands up into fists and I saw flames envelop them. Then he aimed one last time for Boney, who just grinned, shaking his head at us like we were two kids who needed to be taught a lesson.

The fireball shot out from Jace's hand, and I tried to keep Boney in place with my power of wind. However, I clearly hadn't given it my all as he still managed to deflect the fire, smiling proudly at us.

That was until he realized that Jace hadn't completely missed him as his arm rose up in flames. It took him a moment to feel the scorching pain and he made to pat out the fire with his other hand, but I made sure to keep his entire body locked in one place-this time using my full force of wind. My brother and I only watched as his right arm slowly burned off.

I planned on doing this for the rest of Boney's body, slowly and painfully, one by one, until I heard a growl from across the room and looked to see Edward being pushed up against the wall.

"Think you can handle him for now?" I turned to Jace who only nodded, grinning, "Of course."

Then I sped over to help my mate, jumping over the occasional motionless victim lying on the floor. I reached Sulpicia and bent down to pick her up, and place her on one of the chairs.

"Don't worry, Bella. It's not going to make a difference whether I'm sitting or lying down. I can't feel a thing… go help them," Sulpicia ordered me, to which I nodded in understanding. I looked around to see if my dad was up and fighting, but I saw him too, lying motionless on the floor.

I groaned, wondering if when Boney was killed, if the paralysis would immediately wear off on everyone. I decided that it didn't matter because in my case, it had worn off after a day.

I finally reaching my destination, before pulling Buffy's cropped blond hair back, making him release Edward in surprise. Then I punched him so hard in the face, that I think I heard my knuckles crack. I was too pumped up on adrenaline to actually care though. He held his face in pain for a few seconds before moving to retaliate. Edward wasn't having that, though. He locked his hand around Buffy's neck, twisting in a motion to break it, but it was proving to be an impossible feat.

He ended up just holding him in place for enough time for me to rip off Buffy's arm. I had to use my power over wind to help with that though because it was hard to just do it with my physical strength alone.

His dismembered hand was still wiggling around, so I called out Jace's name, throwing the arm into air. He got the picture, making a fireball and aiming it at Buffy's arm. Buffy screamed out in pain and anger, pulling Edward's hand off of him before throwing a punch at my jaw with his only remaining hand. I staggered back, holding my jaw.

Buffy really hadn't done the correct thing by punching me. I looked up in time to see Edward push him up against the wall, kneeing Buffy in the gut before biting into his neck and ripping out his flesh. Then, he threw several punches to Buffy's face and chest. "Never. Touch Her. Again," Edward seethed, before dropping Buffy and kicking his side.

Was it weird that I was really turned on by this protective side of Edward? I knew that he wouldn't be able to hold Buffy off for long, and looked around to see if anyone could help Edward out while I returned to finish off Boney.

I scanned the room, realizing that most people had been paralyzed, and the ones who weren't had been dismembered by Buffy. Even the Cullens had been paralyzed, while Emmett had gotten his arms ripped off. I looked away quickly, feeling a new anger quickly possess me. It was one thing to paralyze them, but to actually hurt them was something completely different.

I put my hands out, forcing Buffy up and making him stay on the wall while I called Jace for help. He was still locked in a heated combat with Boney, but he got my message loud and clear.

I waved my hand, shifting Boney from the right side of the room, to the left side of the room where Edward, his brother, and I were standing. Then I forced him up on the wall, watching pieces of marble break from the force of the impact.

Edward released Buffy realizing that we were handling it, coming to stand defensively in front of me. I tried not to smile at his cuteness.

While I kept Buffy and Boney in place on the wall, Jace sped across the room. Then he gave me a look.

"Do you wanna do this?" Jace asked politely, referring to if I wanted to kill them by myself. I only shook my head, "She was our mom. We should do it together." He nodded tightly, his jaw locked in anger at the murderers.

I looked at Edward, who somehow knew what I was asking for. He walked up to the altar, breaking wood off the arch, and dumping a pile beneath both Boney and Buffy. Then he came and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to him. He wasn't really liking the death glare that Buffy was shooting me.

Boney found Edward's action utterly amusing, "Who knew that you'd ever find a mate?"

I tried not to let myself get pissed off, but anger seeped into my voice as I replied, "Yeah, and I'm not gonna let you have a chance to take him away from me." Boney only smiled, while his brother was looking a mix between furious and terrified.

We didn't let the two of them have any more time to enjoy the gift of life as Jace lit the fires. I still held the two brothers in place using the wind, dropping their bodies lower and lower into the fire until flames engulfed their entire bodies. I heard their screams, forcing myself to look at their flesh being eaten away by the fire until their bones charred and everything turned to ash.

Edward's grip on me tightened and I finally put my hand down, not being able to keep the tears at bay any longer. Everything seemed to be overwhelming me at this point. The wedding, Buffy and Boney, the fact that everyone had gotten hurt in one way or another. He wrapped his arms around me as I wept into his shirt, gripping him, and needing him so much at that moment.

"Shh, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay," after everything that had happened to me, I'd always found those words to be very hard to believe. But right now, coming from my one and only, I actually felt like we could go nowhere but up. I felt like things really were going to turn around.

Jace cut in a few seconds later, so Edward went to help up his family.

My brother and I held onto each other, finally being able to have the closure we'd needed for the past two years. I cried more than I'd ever cried in my life; tears of pain, tears of regret that I hadn't had enough strength to kill Boney and Buffy two years ago…but mostly, tears of joy that I could finally move on.

* * *

I was right in saying that the paralysis would wear off after we got rid of Boney, and it took a few hours until everyone was able to recover. My dad had quickly joined the hug that Jace and I were sharing, which made us both look up at him briefly, before crying even harder.

The wedding, surprisingly, went on, but I guess it's because Sulpicia and Aro truly realized how painful it would've been if they lost each other. It'd taken an hour to reset the chairs and fix up the altar, and things really didn't look that great. But hey, it was still a wedding.

The ceremony was just as beautiful and heartwarming as everyone had planned, and the reception was full of dancing and basically enjoying life.

* * *

After the wedding, Edward and I had gone up to my room and basically kissed the life out of each other. That whole debacle was way too close for comfort for the both of us, and I really never wanted to feel like I was going to lose him ever again.

I guess he felt the same way.

When our make-out session was just getting really heated, Edward pulled away, looking hesitant but sure at the same time.

"Bella?" he asked.

"Yeah?" I answered, brushing my hands against his cheek. I was a little worried at the look he was giving me. He held onto my hand, before, "Close your eyes for a second," he whispered. I gave him a weird look, but nevertheless did what I was told. Then, I felt him move away from me. I couldn't help the sharp pain that crushed against my chest. What was he doing?

"Today, I understood, really and truly what love is. It's when you would do anything to make sure that your mate is content. It's when the very thought of losing your mate cripples you, and drives you to do anything to protect that person. It's when you'd do anything to see a smile on their face. Seeing the person you love happy, makes you feel on top of the world. Isabella Marie Volturi, I _love_ you more than anything. And today I realized that I can't ever live without you by my side. I will do everything in my power to make you the happiest person on the planet, and I will make sure that no one can ever hurt you. Not when I'm around.

He took a deep breath, as I felt tears stream down my face at his words. He told me that I could open my eyes, and I let out a cry, unintentionally covering my mouth at the sight before me. He was on one knee, holding a black velvet box in his hand.

"What I'm getting at, is: Bella, I love you. Even though we've only known each other for a few months, I know that there's no one else that I'd want to spend the rest of my life with...

He breathed, "Will you marry me?" Edward's eyes filled with hope and love as he opened the box to reveal the prettiest ring I'd ever seen. It was a white gold ring with an oval-shaped center filled with diamonds.

I think I was hyperventilating at the scene that was taking place before me. Edward was proposing to me… wait, Edward was proposing to me. And my silence really wasn't helping his confidence.

I nodded vigorously not even having to think about my answer, "Yes. Yes. Yes...I want nothing more than to be your wife, Edward." I enunciated every word, getting my answer across.

He breathed an immense sigh of relief and happiness, taking the ring out and putting it on my ring finger. Then he stood up, and crashed his lips on mine, picking me up and spinning me around in his arms. I smiled so much against his lips, but I didn't feel weird about it because he was smiling too.

Our lips moved eagerly and in sync with each other, and I too understood what it felt like to love someone.

"I love you," I said as soon as we broke apart, looking up into his topaz eyes which held nothing but happiness and adoration.

Edward only grinned, bringing his lips to mine once again, whispering four little words which meant the world to me, "I love you too."

* * *

**This chapter was so long! Wow. Don't worry, the story's NOT OVER. At least, not as yet :) I seriously wasn't going to pack so many things into this chapter…. But everything just sort of felt right. **

**I'm not sure what the next chapter is going to be like, but hopefully I'll come up with something. I'm not sure I want to write about Bella and Edward's wedding, but I'll leave the choice up to you guys. **

**Leave me a review, giving me your thoughts. If you hated it/loved it. I don't really mind :D **

**Thanks so much!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	23. Chapter 23

**YAY! New chapter :) **

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Chapter 23

Bella

Months had passed by so quickly, and soon enough, it was already Christmas break. It had been such a weird transition coming back to school after getting engaged to Edward, but not too weird. At least I had him by my side every day.

Jace had come by to Forks to visit, and had been extremely glad that Alice was taking care of all the wedding planning; he'd done enough of that for one lifetime.

Of course, when Edward and I had first spilled the news to everyone, Jace had been the least thrilled. But only for a short while. Then he just gave us each a hug, telling us that he was happy that we were marrying each other. He explained that no one else was a better match.

I understood that he was having a hard time adjusting to the fact that Edward and I were attached to the hip, but I was happy that he was making an effort. Believe it or not but if Edward were anyone else, Jace would've completely flipped out when we started _dating_. Marriage would've been completely out of the question.

But there was something different about Edward, and even Jace realized that after meeting him. And I was really glad that he did.

* * *

The Cullens, me and Jace were currently all sitting on the couch joking around and doing some family bonding. It was nice sitting there and seeing everyone happy, including myself.

I was settled comfortably on Edward's lap, while his chin rested on my shoulder. He occasionally nuzzled my neck in between our families' story-telling. I was at ease in this moment, feeling nothing but utter bliss that things were turning out the way they were.

I felt Edward's hands slip around my own, before he laced his fingers through mine. We both smiled at each other when he spun the engagement ring around my ring finger. I was still getting used to the fact that Edward was my fiancé now, so whenever he did small actions like those, it made my entire face brighten up. I was really getting married to Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.

I felt like it was just yesterday that I was secretly crushing on him.

I turned to the side and met him with a sweet kiss on the lips, temporarily blocking out the people around us. That was until everyone 'aww'd, making me giggle and break the kiss with Edward. I'd grown accustomed to showing him PDA, but it still a little hard to do what I really wanted when everyone was paying attention.

Edward simply shook his head, dissatisfied with my short kiss, before bringing his lips down to meet mine once again.

That was yet another thing I loved about him; the fact that he was so unafraid to show how he really felt to the world - metaphorically speaking, of course.

Of course, we didn't go further than a long peck as we did have some boundaries around people. Everyone in the room only smiled at us, before restarting the conversations.

"So everything's in order and the invites have been sent out. Everything will be set up by Sunday," Alice said, with a note of finality.

I smiled gratefully, "Thank you _so much_ everyone. I know that you've all told me a million times before that there's no need for 'thank yous' but still. It means the world to me that I'm not only marrying the guy of my dreams, but that I also have an amazing family by my side."

They all looked sincerely touched by my words, and Edward squeezed my hand in his. I meant every word I said. I didn't deserve any of the things that I wasreceiving, so I never took any of it for granted.

Jace broke the comfortable silence, "So have you decided on a cake yet?" He wiggled his eyebrows, making everyone in the room break out in laughter. The only reason we were even getting a cake was because of Jace….and me. But mostly Jace.

"Red velvet? Or double chocolate?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him. No one else at the ceremony was going to be eating cake except for Jace, Lainey, and me, so it was going to be a small one but tasteful one.

It didn't take long before we both nodded to each other, saying it at the same time, "Double chocolate."

Emmett boomed with laughter, "You guys are such twins. It's so weird, but funny at the same time."

"I know right," Jace and I said at the same time once again, causing more laughter.

"Okay, stop," we repeated, frustration evident in both of our voices.

"Ugh," Jace groaned at the same time as me. I felt Edward's chest vibrate with laughter, making me laugh in turn.

Yeah, family time was always pretty nice.

* * *

It's funny how days can pass by so quickly. One minute you're sitting around chatting with your family about what it's like being a twin, then the next moment, you're getting ready for your wedding. Yeah, _wedding._

Sunday was finally here, and I could already hear the guests chatting outside from their seats. This was actually happening. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Nervous?" Rosalie asked from behind me as she was currently doing my hair. I giggled, shaking my head and smiling sheepishly, "More like excited."

Most ordinary people would be nervous and would even have the slightest bit of cold feet on their wedding day. But unsurprisingly, I wasn't ordinary. Edward never did or said anything to give me a feeling like this wasn't going to work out. I knew that we'd eventually have fights which would get us both frustrated, but I also knew that we'd always come back to each other. Because I couldn't live without him, and I was pretty sure that he couldn't live without me either.

I was pretty ecstatic to be starting my life with Edward.

"Aw, I remember when me and Jaz first got married," Alice sighed, reminiscing while applying my eye-shadow. I heard Rosalie scoff from behind me.

"I think _everyone_ remembers that. The pixie literally could not sit down for five seconds. I almost thought she would crash when the time for the actual ceremony came around. Oh my gosh," I pictured Rosalie rolling her eyes behind me, and I laughed along with them.

Alice and Rosalie continued to work diligently on my hair and make-up while I sat on the black leather chair in front of the bathroom mirror. A pink silk robe was tied around my body as I wasn't going to put on my dress until everything else was in order.

My ivory dress was currently zipped up and hanging in the closet of my bedroom, along with my heels. I was normally a very relaxed and collected person, but I almost wanted to burst and scream from the happiness I was holding in. I dug my fingernails into my palms to restrain myself from doing just that, when finally Alice screamed, "Ready!"

Rosalie clapped as I opened my eyes, gasping at the sight in front of me. They'd really outdone themselves on both my hair and make-up, and I felt tears prick my eyes and the reality of all of this struck me. They both enveloped me in large hugs, already knowing how thankful I was to have them.

"You're welcome. I'm so happy for you both, Bella… Really. I mean you were already living with us before, but now you're _officially_ going to be a Cullen," I smiled, blinking my eyes to keep the tears at bay and hugged Rosalie and Alice closer.

"Thanks," I grinned, as they released me, leaving me to get dressed. I closed my eyes, calming myself down before going to the closet and pulling out my dress. As previously mentioned, it was an ivory gown. But it was a lot more than just that. It was made of a material that felt like silk but looked more defined and shapely. It had a sweet-heart neckline that hugged my curves to my waist where it ruffled out with white feathers, flowing down to the ground. It was simple but elegant, and I thought it was absolutely perfect for the ceremony.

Just as I finished strapping on my silver, laced-up heels, I heard a loud knock at the bedroom door. "Come in," I called, smoothing down my dress, and turning to see whoever it. It was actually two whoevers: my father and Jace.

They had both been wearing nervous smiles on their faces, but as they walked in, the both gave me a funny look.

"Don't like it?" I asked worriedly, looking down at my dress. They both shook their heads, humour evident in their eyes at my anxiety.

"You look beautiful, darling," my dad hugged me, careful not to mess up my appearance. "Edward's a lucky man," he finished, pecking my cheek once before moving to leave the room. He gave me one last smile, before opening the door and leaving me and Jace alone. My dad wasn't the most vocal, sappy person in the world, but I knew that he was really proud and happy for me.

"You really do look great, Bells," Jace said softly, smiling at me. I cocked my head to the side, opening up my arms for him, and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around me.

"You don't look too bad yourself, bro," I replied, looking him up and down appreciatively. His navy blue Burberry tuxedo looked crisp and neat, and his hair which was usually in a black disarray was combed back. His blue-grey eyes glistened, "Not gonna lie, I'll miss you loads. But it's honestly nice to see you so happy. Ever since mom…"

He didn't have to say any more, I knew where he was getting at. Ever since my mom had died, I hadn't really been the same. But I knew now that Edward was my sun, my light to save me from all the darkness I had felt for the past years.

I simply nodded, "I know… Thank you. And listen, married or not, I'm always gonna be your little sister. So don't forget to visit and call regularly." Jace only grinned, nodding vigorously, "Definitely."

We hugged once more, before he left telling me that I had a minute left before it was time to walk down the aisle.

As he shut the door, I turned to the mirror, taking in my appearance. My pale skin glowed in the sunlight streaming in from the window, and I smiled. Red lipstick had been applied to my lips while black eyeliner and mascara, along with silver-grey eye shadow had been applied to my eyes. The palest foundation we could find – as I was really a fair-skinned person - was spread lightly across my face, and the hintest sign of pink blush had been brushed along my cheeks. Alice had stated that I obviously didn't need more than that as I'd be blushing for most of the ceremony, which had Rosalie laugh, and me… well, blush. My hair combed back and pinned up in a dark brown up-do, and all in all, I was truly happy with the way I looked.

I closed my eyes, allowing myself to just breathe in and out for a few moments.

I felt at ease all of a sudden, and I just had a gut feeling that my mom was the reason I felt this way. I was really hoping that she was looking down at me at this moment, because I really felt like she was. I looked up to the ceiling as if I was looking up into the heavens right at her, and said, "I love you, mom. This one's for you." Then I sighed, looking back to the mirror and making sure everything was looking alright.

I heard a knock at the door from my father telling me that it was time and it was weird but I felt this overwhelming happiness flood through me. I just knew that this was going to be the best day of my life.

Walked into the hallway, I locked my arm through my father's own while he pulled the white, lace veil over my face. I could hear the violins playing the opening tunes to the wedding march as the doors opened. I was met with a wonderful setting, and an even more wonderful man.

Edward was standing at the altar in a black tuxedo with his hands folded in front of him. He looked so proper and kempt, making me grin from ear to ear. He was too gorgeous for words. His hair was still in his signature mess, reddish-dark brown locks streaked his brown hair, and he had the most amazing smile on his lips. His golden eyes met mine, melting like honey into my own brown ones. I think that that was the moment I knew that I was always going to be his.

* * *

**Thanks again for all the support! The rest of the wedding will be written by next weekend… hopefully :) do any of you want a honeymoon? Or should I just end with the wedding? **

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**LoveACullen **


	24. Chapter 24 - Epilogue

**You all are the sweetest, most amazing people in life. I'm still getting over all the great reviews I received for the last chapter :) I'm so glad that you guys have enjoyed my story :') sad that it's the end.**

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****_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.  
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Epilogue

Chapter 24

Bella

My breathing got irregular seeing Edward up at the altar. This was actually happening.

There really wasn't a word to describe the immense joy I was feeling at this moment. I squeezed my father's arm, and he smiled reassuringly down at me.

My eyes stayed locked on Edward as I walked down the aisle. The short train of my feathery white gown trailed behind me. It was actually agonizing having to walk so slowly down the aisle, when all I really wanted to do was race up to Edward and kiss the life out of him. However, that wasn't a very appropriate thing to do at a wedding, let alone my own, so I kept pace with the sound of the violins.

My father kissed my cheek as he let me go, and I thanked him, before I came face to face with my soon-to-be husband.

He gave me a once-over, looking frazzled, and I suppressed a giggle. "You look breathtaking," he mouthed to me, as the minister told everyone to have a seat. A grin broke out across my face, "So do you," I mouthed back.

Edward's tux was actually perfectly tailored to go with his body. Not too snug, but not too loose either. Cue girly sigh.

Edward's firm yet gentle hands grasped mine throughout the ceremony. When it came to be the time where vows were shared, Edward once again, looked straight into my eyes and recited the most heartfelt speech to me. I actually felt my knees go weak, and had to regain my composure before saying my own.

Then, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." My eyes slid shut as Edward gently pressed his lips to mine, softly and sweetly. Our first kiss as a married couple had been perfect.

Cheers broke out across the hall, as Edward rested his forehead against my own, running his thumb along my cheek with a small smile planted on his lips.

"I love you, Edward Cullen," I whispered low enough for just my husband to hear.

"I love you too, Isabella Cullen," a smile tugged at my lips hearing his words.

We had shared one of those moments where we were absolutely content with having each other for the rest of our lives. The room seemed to slip away leaving just him and me in its wake. I couldn't believe that he was really mine, and I was really his.

I cupped Edward's cheek with my palm, kissing him once more, before he hooked his hand with mine and led us out of the room. Everyone said their congratulations to us, and we thanked them, because we _really_ were lucky to have each other.

My brother and father both enveloped me in a hug, and gave Edward a pat on the shoulder, as if to say, "You've done a good job so far. Don't screw it up."

Then, the entire Cullen family brought both me and Edward in for a group hug. I laughed along with Edward, hugging them all back. I really was happy that they approved of me for Edward, and that I was now a part of their family. Officially, I mean.

* * *

The reception passed by as quickly as the wedding had. There was lots of dancing, and pictures. Many of the pictures had actually been candid as well - which was amazing but also incredibly embarrassing. I'm pretty sure Edward and I were making out for half the reception, but I mean, could you really blame us?

There was one moment in the entire reception that had made me speechless. But in a good way.

Edward leaned down so that his breath tickled my ear – a pleasant feeling. "Do you know how much I love you?" he was whispering, and my eyebrows shot up at his question.

I decided to answer his question with a question, wondering where he was going with this. "No… how much do you love me?" I giggled as his face moved closer to mine.

"I don't think I can tell you… but I think I can show you," his voice was deep but smooth like velvet.

I smiled. So I guess you can say he'd piqued my interest by that point. "How so?" I replied, as our noses touched. Everyone was too busy chattering amongst themselves to pay too much attention to us, and the ones who were paying attention were polite enough to just smile and look away.

Edward's cool breath fanned my face, and my hands wound themselves around his neck. Then he closed the distance between us, gently planting his lips onto mine. Edward's lips moved slowly but surely against my own, before he grazed his tongue across my bottom lip. I gladly opened up my mouth for him as his tongue slipped through my lips. Once again, I was enraptured by the sweet taste of his mouth.

Our tongues wrestled with each other, fighting for dominance, before I finally gave up, sighing against his lips. This only caused the corners of his mouth to turn upwards in a smile.

We broke apart, and I took a deep breath.

"That's only a small part of how I feel," Edward confessed, his butterscotch eyes smoldering mine, making me feel lightheaded.

I guess the kiss and his eyes had left me a little dazzled, so I replied with a, "Huh?"

That only caused him to chuckle, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "You'll see… tonight."

Okay, wow. Was he insinuating what I think he was insinuating? I bit my lip to keep myself from smiling like an idiot. Yeah, I guess married life _was _going to be pretty awesome.

* * *

After the reception, Edward and I had left in his Aston Martin after saying a sweet goodbye to all our friends and family. I was utterly clueless as to where we were going to go for our honeymoon, but I was guessing that it wasn't in Italy we were heading to the airport.

Edward was completely amused at all my guessing as to where we were going, simply shaking his head at each of my tries.

"You've never been there before," was the only hint he'd given me, which crossed out a lot of places that I'd been thinking of.

I'd actually never been to Rio de Janeiro before, so when we hopped onto the flight there, I thought that that was going to be it. But obviously, Edward had other plans.

It was twilight; the sky was a deep blue colour and stars dotted the entire expanse. We walked out of the airport, and quickly drove to the port in Rio.

Edward led me onto a white motor-powered boat, and the memory of our first date came running back to me. As soon as I saw it, a bright smile covered my face.

Edward, never missing a beat, said, "I thought it was fitting."

I grinned, nodding, and tiptoeing up to plant a light peck on his lips, "You were right. It's perfect."

He helped me up onto the yacht, pulling me close to him as soon as I had gotten my balance. Then he spun me around so that my back was pressed against his chest and walked us to the Helm of the ship. He prepared to steer us to wherever it is we were going, as I pushed myself further into him.

His arm stayed wrapped around my waist for the entire time, but I honestly wasn't complaining. I was glad to have him. I laced my fingers through his hand that was on me, turning to the side to give him a short kiss on the cheek, before returning to playing with our interlocked fingers.

I was wearing a short, knee-length, floral print blue dress while Edward was wearing a long-sleeved striped shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of blue jeans. We were going fast across the water, creating ripples and foam in the sea, but Edward seemed to know what he was doing and where exactly he was going. He planted a kiss on my forehead as I began to make out a green piece of land in the distance. An island.

I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows, smiling, "We're going there?"

He matched my smile, nodding once, "Yup. It's called 'Esme's Island'. Carlisle bought it for Esme when they first got married, a while back. They offered to lend it to me for a few weeks."

I nodded, looking on at the island, seeing the shape of a house on the little plain come into view.

There was a small port near the house, and it was only a matter of seconds before we reached it. Edward tied the rope to the cleat, and helped me off the boat. He put both hands around my waist, lifting me up with ease – like if I weighed nothing more than a school bag. Then, when I thought he was going to set me down, he did just the opposite. He kept me in his arms, except he put one hand under my knees, and one under my back.

In other words, he carried me bridal style to the house. I was completely blown away by the design and interior of the Carlisle and Esme's beach house. Everything was so open, but then again, I could guess why. The island was completely secluded and private.

My arms were wrapped around Edward's neck as he kicked off his shoes. Then, he rested me on the couch, so that I could take off my own.

"This is amazing," I spoke my thoughts aloud, referring to the honeymoon getaway Edward had arranged.

"I'm glad you like it," he said, a wide smile spreading across his face as he leaned down to give me a sweet kiss on the lips. Except it wasn't one of those short kisses that we'd shared a lot at our wedding. It was one of those deep, passionate ones that made me crave him like a newborn craved blood.

I put both hands on his face, pulling him closer to me. He lifted me up off the couch, not breaking the kiss, as I hooked my legs around his hips. His hands went to my lower back, and I felt him walk us to another room in the house. The bedroom.

I felt my back press against a soft cushion – the bed – and I sighed, unhooking my legs from around Edward, feeling his weight on top of me. He had adjusted himself so that I couldn't feel his full weight, but still have his body pressed against mine. Our lips were moving eagerly against one another, and I felt him bite my bottom lip, making me gasp, but also giving him full clearance of my mouth.

He broke apart from me, irises darkened as he planted soft butterfly kisses along my neck. I caught my breath, feeling myself let out a soft moan, as his lips went to a certain spot on my neck.

"I want you so much," Edward whispered. My eyes widened a little at his words, before I replied, honestly coating my voice, "You already have me."

Then he reattached his lips to mine. It wasn't long before our clothes disappeared – hey, perks of being vampires and all – and I almost felt like I couldn't breathe. This was so new to me…but in a good way.

Just before he was about to…. well, you know, he stared deeply into my eyes, "I love you."

I smiled, brushing my fingers along his chiseled jawline, "I love you too." I guess he wanted to make sure that I was ready for this. Yeah, it was nervewracking because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. But Edward made everything so easy and natural. My worries slipped away as I felt Edward and I share a moment so intimate I couldn't put it into words. But one thing was for sure: I was always going to be his.

* * *

I yawned, my arms stretching out, coming into contact with a thin sheet spread across my body.

Wait…was I naked? My eyes shot open and I sat up straight, covering myself with the white sheet. I took in my surroundings, and it took a few seconds before the events of last night came rushing back to me. So that hadn't been a dream?

I immediately relaxed, settling back down into the bed.

"Are you alright, love?" Edward's voice came from my right, and I jumped slightly. I hadn't seen him next to me, so you could imagine my shock. I turned so that I was facing him.

Edward was lying on the bed in a pair of plaid boxers, with his eyebrows raised, looking utterly amused. I blushed crimson red, "Sorry, it just took me a minute to figure out where I was…and stuff." I combed my fingers through my hair, feeling as if it looked like a haystack. He leaned down and planted a lingering kiss on my lips.

"You look beautiful," Edward stated, looking at me, and it became my turn to raise my eyebrow.

"Really? Cause I'm pretty sure my hair looks like a mess, and I'm still half-asleep," I was miffed as to why he thought I looked great like this.

"That doesn't matter… you still look gorgeous," cue blush. How did he always know what to say to make me fall in love with him even more?

"You look pretty amazing yourself," I said, referring to his boxer-clad self. His body was completely toned to perfection: abs, pecs, biceps. How did I get such a hot guy? Honestly.

Edward chuckled, kissing me once more, before asking, "Breakfast?" I nodded vigorously, making him laugh once more before he hopped off the bed. I sighed, watching his retreating figure. He was so sexy.

I pulled on the first article of clothing that I saw, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The piece of clothing I'd picked up happened to be Edward's shirt. It fit me like an oversized dress, and I had to roll up the sleeves after buttoning myself up, as they were much too long for my arms.

I walked into the kitchen, smelling eggs and seeing them being cooked on a frying pan by m amazing husband.

Edward turned around, about to ask a question, but his mouth sort of stayed open as he gawked. I looked down at myself making sure I'd buttoned his shirt correctly. Yup, all done.

Then I looked back to him, feeling self-conscious, "What?"

He shook his head, coming out of his daze, and he smiled sheepishly, "Nothing," before turning back to the stove. I hopped up onto the counter, crossing my legs, as I watched him work. Who knew he'd be so great in the kitchen? Well to be honest, I did. Edward was good at everything.

It took a few more minutes before he was all done, and I ate my breakfast on the counter while he neatened up the kitchen.

We both finished in record time, and he came up to me, fitting his waist between my legs, making me smile. I wrapped my arms around his neck, as his hands went to my thighs, "Thanks for the breakfast."

"It was my pleasure, my stunning wife," his words made us both smile, realizing that it was true. Well the wife part, anyway. I wasn't so sure about the whole 'stunning' part...

"Last night was… I don't think I have a word for it," I confessed, looking into his topaz eyes which were looking at me with nothing but love and adoration.

"Fantastic, life-changing, incredible, extraordinary," Edward helped me out. I nodded, "Yup, that sounds about right." We both laughed, pressing our foreheads against one another.

"After last night, I don't think that I'll ever be able to leave your side," Edward said, causing me to break out in a wide grin.

"Trust me, I don't mind that one bit," I answered.

He laughed, pressing his lips to mine, "Good."

Our lips molded together as we stayed locked in a tight embrace. "Edward?" I asked, as soon as we broke apart.

"Yeah?" he answered, brushing his lips against mine, before giving me his full attention.

"I love you so much. I don't even think that there's a word to describe just how strongly I feel about you," I said, gauging his reaction.

He smiled. It was a knowing smile, "I know what you mean. But Bella?"

I raised my eyebrows, as he pressed his lips to mine once more. "I love you too."

And I guess that's all we both needed to know. Once I had him by my side, I knew that things would turn out fine. My life had been one big mess before he came along, and I never thought I'd ever get out of it. But he changed everything for me. I didn't just want him anymore, I needed him.

I wasn't me without Edward. But I also knew that I was always going to have him next to me, because we had always been meant to be.

The End.

* * *

**I can't believe it's over. Oh my gosh. I can't even. **

**Thank you so much to every single one of you for reviewing my story. They've encouraged and pushed me so much. I really can't thank you guys enough. **

**I was originally going to split this into 2 chapters, but I felt like one worked better. **

**Leave me a review telling how you thought this chapter was… or how you thought my overall story was. Even though it's the end, I'd still love to have some reviews to read through :D**

**This won't be my last FanFiction… I'm actually playing around with another story idea. But until I get that sorted, lots of love! Hope you enjoyed my story :)**

**Xoxo,**

**LoveACullen **


	25. Our Instant Connection - New story!

Just wanted to let you guys know that my new story "Our Instant Connection" is officially up on FanFiction! Just head over to my profile to give it a read :) if you want...

Here's the official summary:

**"I felt a solid impact in front of me, losing my grip on my books, sending them straight to the floor." Most people meet their soul mates in high school, or college. Bella meets hers in the most unlikely situation - when she bumps into on the bus. From that moment on, Bella and Edward share an instant connection. Complications ensue, but true love conquers all, right?**

****Hope you check it out, and review :)


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